As a pastor, I’m often welcomed into people’s joys and struggles in life. It’s a huge honour to walk alongside people in their most vulnerable moments, and it’s equally special to walk alongside people’s successes.
I’ve had conversations with people who have experienced tremendous success and feel blessed beyond what they deserve. They don’t understand why they’re so blessed while others struggle. They ask me, “Is it right for me to feel guilty?” My answer is, “No,” because it’s not helpful for you to be guilty about your success. It’s much more helpful when you steward your success well.
Some of us are born with certain privileges: a loving family, material wealth, safe home, access to quality education, etc. In fact, many people in our city enjoy privileges in life. Rather than feeling guilty about the privileges that we have, we can use our privileged position to serve others who may not have the same privileges. This is better for our community.
In the Book of Hebrews, the author writes about a Jewish man named Moses, who was a prominent leader in Israel’s history. “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” Moses was an adopted grandson of the king of Egypt. He had lots of privileges as a prince! However, he chose to be mistreated with God’s people who were being oppressed at the time. He used his privilege to serve those who were not privileged. If you’ve been blessed with success or privilege, consider how you can use it to serve others and give voice to those who do not have a voice in our society. Steward your privilege.
