Loving our Stewardship

I heard this quote yesterday in Management Principles training and loved it. Especially when read in context of our stewardship with the earth and all living things thereon:

“No stewardship can be fully filled without divine direction. This involves study of the scriptures, the words of the living prophets, and calling upon the Lord for intelligence beyond your own…Under true stewardship there is no room for vain ambition, pettiness, or status seeking. One’s ambition is to serve the Lord and His kingdom first. Carelessness, mediocrity, feigned effort, or inconsistent performance have no place where true stewardship is manifest. Love is the motivating force—love for God and love for others.” President Ezra Taft Benson (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 381, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988.)

When I think about the beauty and the good that I see all around me in this world, it is refreshing to hear from a prophet that love is the motivator behind all stewardship. This Creation is the Savior’s stewardship, and love is His motivator in His dealings with the earth. As we learn about our individual stewardships regarding this planet, love will likewise motivate us to action.