We can accept the concept that God designed us. Most of us understand that He is in charge of everything. We will humbly take responsibility for our sinful attitudes and actions. When we add these insights together we come to the one truth that is difficult to consistently apply because it is so radically different from human nature. This truth is that if God made all things and is the sovereign Lord of all things, then everything must belong to Him. Yet, as the ultimate owner of all things He trusts us with the exercise and care of what He owns. He is the Trusting Owner.
What does God own?
The question ought to be placed as "What does God not own?" Psalm 24:1 declares that the earth and all it contains belongs to the Lord. If we have helped our children to properly accept authority in their life, then it should not be too difficult to help them understand that they ought to recognize God's ownership of all that has entered their life.
We are not referring to just visible things. This concept is far broader and deeper than stewardship over material goods. It is important for children to identify all the areas of their lives that God owns. Such items as relationships, emotional attachments, thought life, reputation, imagination, and playthings are valid things to recognize as belonging to God. You must begin to identify the more visible and tangible things first and progress to the intangible as their level of development progresses. However, do not underestimate your child's ability to grasp the invisible. Speak about God's ownership of those invisible things just as you should the visible. They will grasp the concept quickly.
One of the most important concepts for a child to understand is the idea of rights. Our nation has raised this notion beyond its original intent to a place of idolatry. As citizens of a democratic republic we are given privileges by our constitution that will ensure our ability to serve our nation as free citizens. They are called rights because they are required to protect responsible citizens from a government's natural tendency to exceed its limits. Our government was designed for responsible people to control the government rather than the government to control its people.
Notice I use the term responsible. The founding fathers understood that a democratic republic is as good as its citizens. They all understood that good citizenship was based on right religion and its good morals. That is why the Bill of Rights lists freedom of religion as the first amendment. The founding fathers understood how the Creator endowed mankind with certain gifts. In other words they recognized that even our political rights were gifts. They were not something they deserved or could expect to be provided regardless of a person's responsibility.
This is a major contrast with attitudes today. When most people speak of a "right", they refer to something they deserve. They sense that what they deserve is very much something they ought to possess or control. Some may feel they have a right to welfare. Others may believe they have a right to keep their job. One sibling is convinced that the other should not touch her clothes. A man is convinced that his opinion should count the most. All of these reflect an attitude ownership that contrasts with the Biblical concept that God is the ultimate owner.
The result of this conflict in ownership will be a natural development of protectionism and defensiveness. Eventually, when the right is trespassed, resentment will grow into bitterness. Then there will be serious consequences for years to come until that bitterness and its cause are properly corrected. In the meantime, that bitterness will take its toll in that person's health and all of his/her relationships. In fact, it is quite apparent that the emotional level of a person's maturity will be 'stuck' at that emotional age at the time of their first major offense for which they do not forgive their offender. Ephesians 4:26-27 reveals how Satan can gain a foothold in a person's life when there is unresolved anger. That foothold turns into an occupation that severely hampers that person to function healthily and happily. Deliverance from that kind of bondage takes the work of God and discipline for complete healing and restoration. Therefore, the best cure is prevention. That prevention begins with understanding how God is a trusting owner of all things.
What does it mean that God is a trusting owner?
Since God is the true owner of all things, He should be responsible for the care and use of all things. On the other hand, God created mankind and told us to take care of it by ruling over it. God is the owner. However, He trusts us with the privilege to care for it. We need to exercise good care of what God has given us. However, when something happens beyond our control then we must trust God that He knows what is best. God will work it out according to His faithful and good nature. The key here is to train children to acknowledge and yield to God's ownership while exercising good and wise care for the things God has placed into their hands. A child learns to yield their drive to own things through daily training.
