In my previous post I spoke briefly of the one-talent servant from Jesus’ parable who responded in fear to the stewardship challenge his master had given him. This “wicked and slothful” servant took what had been entrusted to him, dug a hole, and buried it for safekeeping.

It’s easy to judge the servant and to see the apparent folly of his decision and the utter lack of creativity he exhibited—he did nothing!

Yet we’re prone to the same fear-based stewardship. The only difference is we don’t always use a literal shovel to dig our own holes. In fact, I’m sure there are countless ways we respond like a one-talent servant. Here are nine that I think are most common:

1. Fear

So much of our decision-making is out of fear. We’re afraid to take risks because we don’t want to fail, or because we fear something else other than God.

2. Worry

Anxiety leads to decision-making paralysis. When we’re so consumed with “what if” scenarios that aren’t even in our control to begin with, we don’t accomplish anything.

3. Envy

Do you constantly compare yourself to other people? This leads to an inordinate amount of time focused on what you don’t have rather than on what you do have.

4. Debt

Perhaps the most obvious hole we dig is that of debt: buying on credit. We believe the lie that we can’t live without certain things that are really just luxuries.

5. Slim Margin

When we live paycheck to paycheck and don’t invest the time and energy to plan ahead, we end up with no margin. Not only can this lead to debt, but also it limits our ability to follow the Spirit’s leading when it comes to helping others in need in a timely way.

6. Laziness

Sometimes we find ourselves in a hole because we were content to sit in our chair while the rest of the world was moving and building. We dug through lack of digging. This includes not using your gifts to their fullest extent and settling for mediocrity.

7. Greed

If money is our god, and if our life’s goal is to get more, we elevate our stuff above Jesus. This pursuit and priority misalignment always leads to a collapse of some sort.

8. Excuses

If we find ourselves in a hole, rather than owning our sin and taking responsibility for our actions, we often make excuses and shift blame. “If it wasn’t for them…if my company hadn’t…if only they would…it’s their fault because…” Even if some of these are true, there’s rarely a circumstance in which we don’t have some personal responsibility. We need to own our part of the problem.

9. (Not) Giving

It runs counter-intuitive to our thinking, but we actually dig ourselves a hole by not giving our money away. We’ve been graciously blessed, and we’re called to follow suit by being gracious givers to our churches and to those around us in need.

The goal in this is not to avoid holes, but to be closer to Jesus and following his example of good, humble stewardship.

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