Stewardship Season: Week 3

Growing as Saints: God’s Power Working in Us. What does that mean to you? Have you someone in your life who you consider to have saint-like qualities? Perhaps you lean on God to be with you in the ordinary of life. During the month of Stewardship, various parishioners have reflected on the theme. This week we have a piece by Audrey Sjöholm:

I have to be honest. Sometimes I lose sight of my faith on a daily basis. I get so caught up in managing my family and professional commitments that whatever takeaways stayed in my mind from the Sunday sermon seem to evaporate when I most need them. And while I’d like to boast about God’s principles informing all of my interactions in the community, I’m not sure I really can.

The place where I do a better job (I think. I hope!) of letting God guide me is at home. No matter how hard I try to prevent it or create a buffer, school stress and busy work schedules take their toll on me, my husband and two teen boys. These stressors manifest in sharp words and short tempers. They create a very real tension, which I try really hard to transform into kindness and good will. If my boys snark at each other, I remind them that they are each other’s best friends and defenders above all. I point out that there’s more than enough criticism and ridicule already in the outside world and that we want our home to be a refuge from it. And when I get annoyed about, well, pretty much everything, I try to remember that my chosen partner should be—and is—my solace, not my punching bag.

Clearly, I’ve still got work to do when it comes to allowing God’s power to work within me, but these are my small steps so far. And perhaps they’ll resonate with you on your own faith journey.