Grow: Integrating Stewardship into Play

Jake and the kids go on a lot of adventures during the day. Most of the time, I choose not to request many details because the adventures tend to be.... less cautious than what I would desire :). For example, one day upon my arrival home from work, my four year old son said, "Mom, guess what?! We outran a train today." I "looked" at my husband and he quickly busied himself with something else. So, Jake and I made a deal. He brings them home alive and well, and I don't ask questions.

One adventure they go on on a regular basis is a "picking up trash" adventure. They each get on gloves (we use gardening gloves for the kids), and they walk in our neighborhood to pick up as much trash as they can find in a given amount of time. We have a small park by our house that always has a lot of trash behind the big fence, so they even make their way back there to pick it up.

While they are picking up, they talk about how they are "making the earth a better place." This may seem simplistic and a bit "mother-earthy", but this idea of doing what we can to make the world better is deeply embedded in the Scriptures. Not only do we have the general "stewarding the earth" Scriptures (Genesis 1.28), but also the idea that Jesus is redeeming everything, and that He uses us in that process. In Colossians 1, we read that Jesus is reconciling all things (not just people!) to Himself, whether on the earth or in the heavens. We talk about that when we pick up trash, we are not only taking care of the earth that God has so generously provided for us to live on and in, but also that picking up trash contributes to the good of the community in which we live.

What family traditions do you have that practice stewardship? 

Let's inspire one another!