The dictionary describes a steward thus:

1. One who manages another's property, finances, or other affairs.
2. One who is in charge of the household affairs of a large estate, club, hotel, or resort.
3. A ship's officer who is in charge of provisions and dining arrangements.
4. An attendant on a ship or airplane.
5. An official who supervises or helps to manage an event.
6. A shop steward.
7. A wine steward

So stewardship is the trusted caretakership and management of a responsibility

Stewardship serves all...
Service with a smile dear caretaker

We can be stewards of our family or the environment or even of the needs of others.

A stewardess is well-known on aircraft flights as the lovely lady who takes care of your needs, whether to make you comfortable or keep you safe or well fed. Obviously this is true of the male steward as well.

A stewardship can be awarded in a church to a reliable and trustworthy person to take care of the financial affairs of the congregation.

There are even organisations acting as stewards of the environment, such as Greenpeace.

What is stewardship within the context of the environment?

Stewardship definition – refers to the wise use, management and protection of that which has been entrusted to you as a landowner or is rightfully yours. Biodiversity stewardship is therefore the practice of effectively managing land-use outside the existing state-managed protected area system to ensure that natural systems, biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide are maintained and enhanced for present and future generations.

In a nutshell, stewardship is responsible service.

Stewardship how?
So what has all of this to do with us?

Every person finds themselves in a position of stewardship in life!

This means that whatever has been entrusted to us to perform, we fall under a spotlight which will reveal certain truths about our character.

Are we entrusted with responsibility in a government office? Or do we have a job at the place of our employment? Or are we a mother, a father, a son or daughter? Do we have our own business? Or do we use the roads?

It is clear to see that stewardship involves how we perform and manage the service entrusted to us!

HOW do we improve our particular area of stewardship?

If we can see the relationship of stewardship to all other values, we will easily learn this particular value.

Note: that stewardship is an attitude.

If we have a negative attitude toward our responsibilities then we must deal with this in the first instance.

If you were given a sports car on the condition that you kept it clean, how much attention would you give to it's cleanliness?

If you would find it a pleasure to keep the car clean, you would be a good steward.

Now, if you were asked to keep the country clean by not polluting it, what would you do?

As a steward of planet earth, for such you are, you have need to think "green" and help others within your area of influence to think and act green as well.

Do you feel as motivated with the earth as you did with the car?

Imagine polluting your own home, throwing your dirt on the floor, not washing your dishes, leaving the toilet filthy, write crude messages on your walls etc? Imagine how your home would start to look and imagine how bad it would start to smell and very soon you would get sick and very unhappy, your friends would not visit and think you were disgusting.

Is is possible that you would ever allow your home to be in such a filthy state?

NEVER, you say!

Yet how do we treat the environment?

Do we throw our dirt out of our car windows? (not uncommon here in South Africa)

Do we leave a public toilet filthy? (not uncommon again)

Do we train, as in train our children to be clean in public toilets? (they are often the culprits)

Do we write crude messages on walls? (very prevalent)

Do we buy products which are recyclable? (do we care?)

THE EARTH IS YOUR HOME!!!

I want to be a better Steward!
Can I improve in this essential value and if so how?

CONGRATULATIONS!

Welcome, let's make a start...

Did you know that keeping your home clean has everything to do with self-esteem and self-respect?

So let's go to self-esteem as our first exercise.