The last two years have been very interesting for me as a creative Christian. Having always considered myself a pretty organized and driven person, I have found myself struggling to create, manage my time, and prioritize. In other words, I have struggled to steward the things God has given me, and if I’m honest, that realization has left me feeling backed against the wall more often than not. Slowly but surely, I find myself coming out of a season where life and all that is happening in this world almost swallowed me whole.

I am reminded that, while we cannot control the things going on around us, we must pay attention and tend to those things going on inside of us. When we as creative Christians find ourselves slipping away from doing the things God has called us to do, it requires us to pause, evaluate, and most importantly pray for clarity, strength, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit to begin again.

If you too have struggled to create in a way that honors God or just find yourself not being the best manager of all God has placed in you, here are some ideas I think can help us all find our way back to stewardship.

Grow With Grace

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.’” (Exodus 34:6)

Finding my way back to being a better steward has made me cling to God’s grace like never before. God’s unmerited favor for us speaks louder than seasons of unproductivity. His love and kindness towards us remain constant even when we are lost. His grace is not dependent on our worst moments or even our best. 

Simply put, God’s grace gives us permission to not worry about yesterday. It is all the permission we need to find our way back to Him and what He has called us to do – no matter how long we’ve put it down.

Rest

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

You are allowed to rest – not just when you’ve reached your breaking point of exhaustion – but every chance you get. Rest and self-care are absolutely necessary for us to walk in purpose with confidence and clarity. We don’t just need rest to renew our bodies, but we also need it to renew our faith, our spirit, and our minds. It is so easy to fall victim to being in grind mode, but when we are alert and present in mind, body, and spirit, we are in a better position to steward well.

Ask for Help

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

If you’re like me, then asking for help doesn’t come naturally. Unfortunately, what I’ve discovered the hard way is that asking for help is okay. Asking for help doesn’t make us weak or incompetent. No. Instead, asking for help allows us to manage all the things God has given us like time and energy and ideas that much better. We ought to ask God for wisdom to delegate and prioritize so that we are present and intentional.

Create According to Your Calling

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8)

I have discovered that in order to be a good steward, it is important to give my time and attention to those things that God has called me to do when He has called me to do it. So rather than stretching myself thin trying to execute every single idea I have or being influenced by what the popular thing is, it is most important to walk the path God created especially for me. So that means in order for us to be good stewards as creatives and business owners and dreamers we must create according to our calling. We must position ourselves to hear from God so that we move when He says move, rest when He says rest, and create what He has called us to create. Let’s not ask God to carry us through doors He never intended us to walk through but instead focus our efforts on the things (or that thing) He wants us to do.

Exercise Patience

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5)

Whether it be better managing our finances or our time, becoming a better steward requires us to do a new thing. It requires mind shifts and changed hearts in order to better manage our resources. Yes, unlearning bad behaviors can be a challenge, but we should be intentional in giving ourselves grace to keep going and keep trying to do better. We can accomplish this by studying God’s word daily and leaning on Him as we make those necessary shifts in our lives.

As creatives, we will find ourselves in many different seasons. There will be seasons when we aren’t inspired. There will be seasons when life will become heavy. There will be seasons when we are just tired. The good news is that no matter what season of life we are in, God’s love remains the same. We can find strength in knowing that through Him we can do all that He has called us to and that means making different choices so that we can show up better and more equipped for every challenge we may face. May we create and do and live in such a way that God may call us His good and faithful servants (Matthew 25:21).