New Questions for Daily Devotions

“Who left a half-eaten apple on the coffee table?” I demanded crossly.

“You don’t have to yell, Mom,” the guilty child replied, in lieu of an apology. I launched into my usual lecture about waste, stewardship and how God doesn’t give us good things so we can be careless. It might have had some effect if I’d said it in a different way. Maybe.

After my irritation wore off, I did a bit of log-in-eye analysis. Good steward though I purport to be, I waste things, too. I burn time on brain-numbing computer games. I fritter away money on snacks my hips don’t need. I toss away discipleship opportunities with my kids when I indulge my frustration.

OK, Lord, I prayed, wincing. Show me how much I squander of the goodness you give me.

You don’t want to know what I learned. Well, except for this: The mountain of waste that stands between me and God—a mountain all of my making, of discarded generosity—would put a landfill to shame.

And so I resolved to add some new questions as part of my evening devotions:

How much of this day did I use as God intended?

How much did I leave on the table, like a half-eaten apple?

And have I given thanks for what I have used ... and what I have wasted?

Here’s hoping that all of us learn to be better stewards, one day at a time.