Wait, None of This is Mine?

🎧 What if nothing you own actually belongs to you?

In this episode of Just Tilly, Tilly and Sam explore one of the most life-changing truths about biblical stewardship. Discover what Psalm 24:1 teaches about money, possessions, and why seeing yourself as a **steward—not an owner—**can completely change the way you live.

📝 This week's activity: Start your Stewardship Inventory by looking around your room and listing the things God has entrusted you to manage. Then choose one item to starting caring for, improve, or use to bless someone else - and we can grow from here :-)

✨ Helping middle schoolers build financial wisdom, godly character, and lifelong money habits through real stories and God's Word.

🌟 Before You Go...

Remember, Just Tilly isn't just about listening, it's about living what you learn.

Every episode is designed to help you and your family put God's wisdom into practice. So don't stop here. Complete the activities, talk about what you've learned, and encourage one another as you grow together.

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Listen. Practice. Grow.

Warmly,
The Just Tilly Team

Transcript

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Tilly 0:02

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Just Tilly. I'm Tilly.

Sam 0:05

And I'm Sam. Okay, before we get into today's topic, we have to do our weekly check-in. How did the 48-hour pause pad go?

Tilly 0:12

It was so hard. I am such a spender. I had to write down three different things on my pause pad this week. Two of them were iced teas from the boba shop and one was a new phone case.

Sam 0:23

And did you survive the 48 hours?

Tilly 0:26

I did. Honestly, when the craving hit, I just looked up a recipe and made my own iced tea at home. It was actually pretty decent. And by the time the timer went off for the phone case, I realized my old one is perfectly fine. It saved me 20 bucks. How did you do, Mr. Strategic Smasher?

Sam 0:43

I saw a new DLC expansion for a game I play, and I almost clicked buy instantly. But I forced myself to write it down. After two days, I realized I hadn't even finished the main game yet, so buying the expansion was pointless. The pause definitely works.

Tilly 0:58

It really does. It feels good to have some control.

Sam 1:01

Yeah. But honestly, even though I saved my money this week, I realized I have a completely different problem. I had this huge reality check over the weekend about the stuff I already bought.

Tilly 1:11

Oh, what happened?

Sam 1:13

Okay, so because I'm a stasher, I am super protective of my stuff. I saved up for months to buy this really nice, expensive gaming headset. It's my prized possession. Well, on Saturday, my older brother came into my room and asked if he could borrow it for a few hours to play online with his friends.

Tilly 1:30

Let me guess. You told him no way.

Sam 1:32

No, I actually let him borrow it. But the entire time he was using it, I was completely stressing out. My mind was constantly on the headphones. I was hovering, listening from down the hall, terrified he was going to drop it or pull the cord too hard. Because I bought it with my own money, I felt like my life depended on that headset staying perfect.

Tilly 1:52

I totally get that. It's hard to watch someone else use your favorite stuff.

Sam 1:56

Right. But when he finally gave it back to me, I was super excited and relieved. But then I was just left with this heavy question in my heart. I asked myself, why was I so stressed out? Why wasn't I at peace letting my own brother use my stuff?

Tilly 2:10

That is a really deep question. Did you figure it out?

Sam 2:14

I did. Later that day I was talking to my mom about the whole incident and how I was feeling, and she brought up this crazy concept. She said I was stressing out because I thought I was the owner. But really, I'm just a manager.

Tilly 2:26

Wait, a manager of your own headset?

Sam 2:29

I know! I was so confused. I literally held up the receipt and said, Mom, I earned this money. I am pretty sure it's mine. And she didn't even blink. She just asked me, Who gave you the brain to figure out how to save? Who gave you the hands to work? Actually, who made the electricity that powers the headset?

Tilly 2:47

Oh wow, okay, mom dropping logic. You can't really argue with that.

Sam 2:52

You can't! She completely shut me down. She introduced me to the concept of stewardship, managing God-given resources. And then she told me to look up a specific verse. I have been meditating on this all week. Do you have your Bible app open right now? Can you read Psalm chapter 24, verse 1 for us in the NLT version?

Tilly 3:11

Yeah, pulling it up right now. Okay, here it is. Psalm 24 1. It says, The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.

Sam 3:22

Everything in it. That means the money in my savings account, the sneakers in your closet, my gaming headset. All of it belongs to God.

Tilly 3:30

So your mom was telling you that you aren't the owner, you are the steward.

Sam 3:35

Right. Back in ancient times, a steward was someone who was hired to manage a massive estate for a king or a wealthy landowner. The steward didn't own the house or the sheep or the gold, but the owner trusted the steward to take care of it, grow it, and not waste it.

Tilly 3:51

So, if I work at a fast food restaurant and I am the shift manager, I don't get to take the money out of the cash register and buy myself a new bike. I am managing that money for the owner of the restaurant.

Sam 4:04

Exactly. And if you realize your bedroom, your clothes, and your $10 bill are actually God's blessings that He is letting you manage, you realize you are just a conduit to bless others with what you have.

Tilly 4:14

I love that. Because it is actually through your stewardship that other people can see Christ in you.

Sam 4:20

Exactly. But that is a deeper story for another day. The point right now is that this concept is actually a huge relief for people who stress out about money. You don't have to carry the weight of being the owner of everything. You just have to faithfully manage the little bit God put in front of you today.

Tilly 4:36

Which brings us perfectly to this week's Just Tilly Challenge.

Sam 4:40

This week, our challenge is a little different. It's an action challenge, and you can feel free to add your findings into your Just Tilly binder.

Tilly 4:47

We are calling this the Stewardship Inventory, and it's going to be the newest page in that binder.

Sam 4:52

Actually, we have an official name for your binder now. We are calling it the Cipher. A cipher is a tool used to crack codes, and part of being a good steward is keeping your tools organized so you can crack the code of what God says about money.

Tilly 5:06

Exactly. So grab a notebook or print out your past trackers, put them in your cipher, and let's get to work. We want you to walk into your bedroom, sit on the floor, and look around. Write down ten things you see that God has entrusted you to manage.

Sam 5:20

It could be your bed, your sneakers, a skateboard, or the $5 bill on your dresser. Once you have your 10 things written down, your challenge is to actively steward one of them this week.

Tilly 5:30

If you wrote down your sneakers, take 10 minutes to clean them so they last longer. If you wrote down your closet, go find three shirts you don't wear anymore and manage them by donating them to someone who needs them.

Sam 5:45

Write that list in your cipher. Talk about it with your parents at dinner. Let them know you're stepping up as a manager.