Stewardship vs. Frugality

What do the words stewardship & frugality mean to you? They are just words. In Christian circles, these words tend to go hand in hand, but they really are quite different. According to the dictionary frugality maintains the idea of using resources sparingly, whereas stewardship gives the idea of supervising or managing resources for another.

When I was growing up, there was always a great emphasis placed on stewardship. My parents, my Pastor, ministry leaders, Christian school teachers always stressed the importance of being responsible and faithful with the resources that God had entrusted to me.

There was an extremely high cost of living, as there tends to be with any big city. While the millionaires and wealthy abound, they were not always the ones actively involved in my life. Everyone I knew faithfully used their weekly coupons, purchased items on sale, and rejoiced over a great find on the clearance rack. While the financial side of life wasn't always easy, everyone worked hard and lived within their means. They spent time with their family and loved the Lord. They were faithful to church and diligent in all that was set before them. From my child-like perspective, it seemed that they all knew God had entrusted them with their lives and they were responsible to care for it according to His principles. No matter how tight finances would be, they knew that God would provide for the tiniest need as long as they were good stewards with what they had.

I could give you story after story of how I saw this play out in people's lives.

That was stewardship.

Then I moved and the new word seemed to be "frugality." Here in Small Town, South, absolutely everything is cheaper - except for maybe groceries, because we have to pay high taxes on food. There is a lot less affluency in this area, but that's ok because it's not like I was rubbing shoulders with the millionaires anyway.

It is different though. Everyone seems to do the extreme coupon thing. Everyone shops at thrift stores & consignment stores almost exclusively, if they shop at all. And they are all always worried about money. There are certain numerous people that I absolutely cannot talk to unless the conversation is wholly centered around money. These people will drive 50 miles in their low mpg vehicle to pick up a single free item - then they will stop for lunch with the family as a reward for the money they saved. They will spend hours trolling the internet for free products, coupons, and cheap work. But they will totally miss out on time with their family, or they just can't find time to serve in ministry at church. Money is on the brain, and it is always something that they are worried about.

When I moved to this Small Town, South, I wanted to fit in with all of the other ladies. It seems like there are two key "rights of passage" - having babies (not happening anytime soon), and couponing (I guess I can do that). But I quickly discovered something about that couponing. I was worrying about money. Money is something that God is supposed to take care of. I was spending more money on groceries than ever, simply because they were on sale and I had a coupon. The ladies told me it was a good deal. Before I just bought what I needed when I needed it. If it happened to be on sale or I happened to have a coupon, it was an added bonus. Occassionally I would stock up on expensive or hard-to-find items if it truly was a good deal. But with the couponing, I was no longer relying on God to provide for me, nor was I just being a steward. I was trying to be frugal and I was trusting me.

In God's eyes, not relying on God and instead relying on me is sin. I can dress it up here on earth as a good thing, but the heart behind it is sin. When I was just a steward, I never really worried about money. Sure, I still wondered how a bill was going to be paid, or I was painfully aware that I didn't have enough money for something that my family needed. But God took care of all of that. The bills were always paid. As a steward, I carefully planned my meals with affordable ingredients. I did due diligence and searched for good deals. I tried to use coupons and buy things on sale as often as I could. Not because it was my money, but because it was God's. I knew that in the end, as long as I was faithful, He would take care of it. And He always did.

But the minute that I tried to live frugally, it suddenly seemed like the bills couldn't get paid and I was spending too much money in an effort to save money and I was busy worrying.

Stewardship & frugality - they are just two words. They mean a lot. Maybe they mean different things to you. But I know I learned the difference for me.

One thing I know for sure. God specifically tells me not to worry about finances for food or clothing because He has under control.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:24-24)

And God specifically tells me to be a good steward of what He has entrusted to my care in Matthew 25.

Couponing, thrifting, and similar activities aren't bad. I don't mean that all. We as servants of God, just can't be consumed with them.

Be responsible, but let God be in control of your finances.