Lately, I've been thinking about stewardship in a different way.
For years, I viewed stewardship primarily through the lens of finances. Was I spending wisely? Saving appropriately? Giving generously? Those things certainly matter, but stewardship encompasses far more than money. Stewardship is how we manage everything God has entrusted to us: our time, our energy, our homes, our relationships, our businesses, and yes, even our bodies.
The truth is that many of us are trying to pour from cups that are nearly empty. We want to serve more, encourage more, disciple more, volunteer more, and impact our communities more. Yet we often neglect the very foundations that fuel those things. We skip sleep. We eat foods that leave us depleted. We spend most of our day sitting. We live under chronic stress. Then we wonder why we lack the energy and capacity to show up fully for the people God has placed in front of us.
Think about the instructions given on an airplane: put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. That principle isn't selfish. It is stewardship. You cannot effectively help others if you are unable to breathe yourself. In much the same way, caring for our bodies is not vanity. It is preparation for service.
Nourishment as Foundation
When we nourish ourselves well, we increase our capacity. Protein, minerals, hydration, and nutrient-dense foods provide the building blocks our bodies need to function well. This is one reason elderberry has become such a meaningful part of our family's routine. Not because it is a magic solution, but because it is one small way we can support the foundation God designed our bodies to build upon.
Our goal has never been simply to sell a product. Our goal has always been to help families build a stronger foundation of nourishment so they can show up more fully in the work God has called them to do.
Movement as Gift
Movement is another gift that many of us overlook. Our bodies were designed to move. Not just for an hour in the gym and then sit for the next twelve hours, but to move throughout the day. Walking, carrying, stretching, working outdoors, playing with our children, and simply remaining active all help support the energy and resilience we need for daily life.
Strength training teaches a powerful spiritual lesson as well. Muscles grow when they are challenged. Capacity increases when resistance is applied consistently over time. The same principle is true in discipleship. We do not grow stronger spiritually by remaining comfortable. God often increases our capacity through challenges, responsibilities, and opportunities that require us to trust Him.
Stewardship and discipleship both involve faithfully strengthening what has been entrusted to us.
The Gifts Already Within Reach
God has also provided resources that cost nothing: sunlight, outdoor air, water, rest, and sleep. Morning light helps regulate our body's rhythms. Water supports nearly every process in the body. Sleep restores and repairs. We all have access to these gifts in some capacity.
Before looking for a complicated solution, it may be worth asking ourselves whether we are consistently stewarding the basics. Are we getting enough sleep? Drinking enough water? Spending time outdoors? Nourishing our bodies with foods that support health? Moving regularly throughout the day?
Often, the greatest gains in capacity come not from adding more, but from faithfully stewarding what God has already placed within our reach.
Physical and Spiritual Stewardship Together
When I look at the modern church, I wonder if we've unintentionally separated spiritual stewardship from physical stewardship. We readily talk about prayer, Bible study, and discipleship, but we often neglect the practical habits that support our ability to live those things out.
If God called us to serve in a greater capacity tomorrow, would we have the energy, resilience, and margin to respond?
Paul touches on this idea in 2 Corinthians 10:15-16 when he writes that as the believers' faith increased, his ministry would be enlarged "so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you." Their growth was never intended to stop with them. Their maturity would create greater capacity for the Gospel to spread further.
The same principle remains true today. We do not pursue stewardship simply for ourselves. We steward our bodies, our homes, our finances, and our lives so that we can love others better, serve others better, disciple others better, and carry the message of Christ further. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 4, church leaders are called to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Equipping is not the end goal; ministry is. Growth is not the destination; impact is.
The Most Available Version of Ourselves
Perhaps stewardship is not ultimately about becoming the healthiest version of ourselves.
Perhaps it is about becoming the most available version of ourselves — ready to respond when God opens a door, places a need in front of us, or calls us into something that requires more than we could give in our own strength.
When we faithfully steward our bodies, our homes, our finances, and our lives, we increase our capacity to serve others and carry the message of Christ further.
As our capacity expands, so does our ability to participate in the work God is doing around us.