Walk in Love 2027: WHY I PLEDGE
I have been a member of the Chinese congregation for twelve years. During these twelve years, I have learned and grown through the church, and I have also received so much help and blessings from many brothers and sisters in Christ. I am very grateful to COS for giving me this opportunity to share a topic that is very important to me, that of being a good steward.
When we hear the word ‘steward’ we may immediately think about money, giving or the resources we have. I have come to realize that the biblical meaning of ‘stewardship’ is about much more than managing money. Time, family, work, talent, health, our children, and everything else that God has given us do not truly belong to us. Rather, we are like stewards entrusted with what belongs to God. So today, I don’t simply want to ask, how much should we give? but I want to explore a deeper question: When God entrusts these things to us, how should we manage them? I’d like to invite you to think about a few questions with me.
Suppose you had to work seven days a week while managing two companies. Every night at 11 p.m., you are still responding to clients’ messages, hardly ever being able to turn off your phone, not for a single day of the year. When you finally come home, you still have to take care of all family responsibilities and look after three children. Would you still come to church every week? Or would you think to yourself, I finally have a little time for myself. Should I use this time to rest and relax? My answer is yes, I can still come to church every week, and I can even make time to serve the church more.
Suppose you give money to the church, and someone says to you, “Are you crazy? If you have money, why don’t you spend it on yourself? Why don’t you save more for your children?” My answer is that the money I have is a gift from God. It is not because I am especially smart or capable that I have everything I have today. How would you respond?
When you quietly and freely give your time and energy to the church, have you ever thought, I’ve done so much. Shouldn’t someone notice me? Shouldn’t someone praise me? My answer is that I don’t need people to notice me, because I believe God sees me.
When I was baptized in a house church in China, I heard a parable that left a very deep impression on me. It goes: “My relationship with God is like two people holding shovels. I hold my little shovel and place my time, energy, love, and offerings before God, little by little. And God holds a shovel that is much bigger than mine, and He keeps adding His grace, blessings, and provision into my life, and into my family’s life, little by little.” As time went on, I came to understand that the more willing I am to give, the more I realize that I have not actually lost anything; instead, I have received even more, because what God gives me always exceeds what I am able to offer. I bring my little shovel, and God responds with a much bigger one.
We may think that we are giving something away but in reality, everything we have was already given to us by God. A truly good steward does not tightly hold on to the things God has entrusted to us. Instead, a good steward is willing to manage them faithfully, use them wisely, and, when God calls us to do so, willingly and joyfully offer them back to Him. Because I believe God’s shovel is always bigger than ours. And God’s grace is always far more abundant than we could ever imagine.
Questions about your pledge or need assistance pledging for the first time? We are here to help!
Contact Rose Gonzalez at RoseG@COSEpiscopal.org or call (626) 282-5147 ext. 118.
This really resonated with me, especially the powerful metaphor of the two shovels and how giving our time and energy never actually leaves us feeling depleted. Juggling a busy schedule can sometimes feel overwhelming, much like trying to sort out a complex business statistics assignment help australia task while balancing family commitments, yet making intentional space for community service brings a completely different kind of grounding perspective. It is easy to fall into the trap of guarding our time too tightly, so reading this was a gentle, timely reminder about reframing how we view stewardship in everyday life.
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