Stewardship of relationships

All that I do with all that I have after I say, "I believe." This definition of stewardship is rather all-encompassing, involving my relationships. Those are perhaps my hardest challenge. Relationships by definition involve more than one person, so the dynamic of the relationship is not entirely under my control. It's easy to get bogged down thinking that if my relationships are not going well then I am not being a good steward. On closer scrutiny, however, there is a buried pride in this. My control does extend over my behavior in the relationship, but it ends there. Perhaps the best thing and the hardest thing at the same time is to be honest in those relationships. I may be wrong, but I can be honestly wrong. I may be right, and I can humbly, honestly be right. Owning my own feelings and behaviors is stewardship of the most severe kind, for it calls me to godliness and also those with whom I am in relationship. My fear, of course, is that some relationships cannot stand that kind of health--and perhaps my fears are not entirely unfounded. But what is the pay-off? If a relationship is predicated on falsehood it cannot last anyway. A good dose of humble, healthy, owned honest will go a long way to setting things straight, and in the long run it is the only godly thing to do. Remember: "All that I do with all that I have after I say, 'I believe.'"