“King Antigonus, when he had not seen Cleanthes, the philosopher, for a long time, said to him, “Do you continue to grind (referring to the occupation by which he supported himself)?” “Yes, sir,” replied the philosopher, “I still grind; that I do to gain my living, and not to depart from philosophy.”

-E-Sword

I

wrote here some time back about this topic: “Yeah but where is the money?” I was postulating about the notion where engaged people have ideas but their friends are watering it down because it currently is not generating any income.  I get it. People are looking for money because the Bible says that “Money answers all things”. I am not saying anything to the contrary.

In fact a few weeks back, I saw a “devotional” in a Whatsapp group that boldly proclaimed something to the effect that:

“When we crystallize everything in life, we will find that there are only two major crucial things in life—God and money”

I must admit I wrestled with that statement and I still am…but that is besides the point. My point is that we fail miserably when we put money as the single main pursuit in our lives. I said in that article that that mentality will make a gifted author to do nothing until money comes before they can write a manuscript.

My advice is the same thing that Martin Luther King Jnr said:

“You do not have to see the whole staircase…just take the first step”

But I am already going ahead of myself.

The Jobless Person

In an upcoming book, I ask a very interesting question: Who was the first guy in history to be jobless? Did he call himself jobless and wear that title as a badge or did someone else imprint that title on him? Or her?

The major bodies of this world have created funds and mobilized causes and resources so mighty that to solve the “jobless” scourge in the world. Would you believe it? There are some people who are employed specifically so that others would get jobs! That is quite interesting.

The Unnecessary Label

I will continue to say this: Joblessness is a label that ought not to be. Now do not get me wrong. People need to pay rent, buy food and diapers, get some nice clothes, cellphones and curtains. People also need to have some kind of lifestyle…and the problem is that we have been lied to that the ONLY way of getting this done is by getting a job.

That is why many people do nothing once graduating other than look for jobs. That is why very many people are not thinkers but job seekers. That is why an uneducated grandmother somewhere has done mighty things as compared to her 40 year old grandson with a PHD, I kid you not!

How about a Job?

Today, we glorify job titles more than we do function. There some people that would be comfortable with a job title that does little to improve their value as long as the other title of “Jobless” is not theirs.

Of course the very biggest benefit that a job comes with is a “guarantee” of a specific amount of…money at the end of the month. It gives us some form of “certainty” and security. So before we get the job, we shun very many things. Our sights are set and locked on target and we tend not to welcome anything else. We tend to get disengaged with the day to day activities of life and switch off. The best we do of course is to look for employment.

One Universal Job Title–“Steward”

I am here to say that one word (and this is controversial of course), one title is enough to totally obliterate joblessness in the whole world. The title? Steward.

Dictionary.com gives us an apt definition:

a person who manages another’s property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others.

We are All Meant to be Stewards

All human beings are primarily Stewards. You want to argue about it? Let me ask you a question. Of all the human beings that are born of a woman into this earth…how many bring with them things they own? Let us follow up with another question:

Of all the men and women who die daily (Approximately 6000 people have just died the past hour), how many of them are taking away anything from this earth?

The answer to both questions is: None!

Yet in between our birth and our death, we “own” things…which we never brought and we will never take away. We are all Stewards.

Now, what is the definition of a Jobless person?

job·less

ˈjäbləs/

adjective

Question: Do you need to have a job to be a Steward on earth? Think about that for a minute before you answer, because this question is revolutionary.

There are 7 aspects of being a steward just as the title itself has is 7-lettered:

1. Servant:

People have a negative feeling about the word “Servant”, but those who do are actually suffering from a low self-esteem. My definition of a servant is someone who uses their optimal capacity to the service, growth and betterment of another person or other people. In fact, Jesus Christ said: “The greatest among you shall be your servant.” Let’s answer this question: Do you need a degree or a job to be a servant? Of course not. Take a look at a typical “jobless” person around you. Do you see anything that they can “serve” with using their skills, knowledge, gifts, talents and common sense?

2. Time Conscious

I have written extensively about this elsewhere, but it is good to repeat it. You can have a full calendar filled with activities from dawn to dusk, Monday to Sunday even if you are jobless. A steward is someone who knows that time is not on their side and they do not own it. A preacher said last Sunday that we would live different lives if there was a countdown clock showing us how many days we have left on earth. The truth of the matter is that such a clock does exist, it is the visionaries of this world who see it.

3. Engaged

The mind, the heart, the body need engagement. I think the greatest definition of a jobless person is that one who is dis-engaged. However, I have never seen a Steward who is disengaged. There is so much you can do daily to make sure that you are engaged. My Mentor Dr. Mike Murdock puts it this way:

“If you do not find something to produce or something to create, you will lose interest in life”

That something does not necessarily have to be a job. Check this link for options.

4. World A Better Place

The sole purpose of a steward is “others”. This to me is the essence of having a great Life Signature. In other words, the mindset of a steward is not selfish and self centered. Yes, Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” I get that. But look at it carefully, you love yourself so you can love your neighbor. Do you need a job to make the world a better place? Really?

5. Action Oriented

It is inspired actions that create more ideas. Years ago after half-completing my college Diploma, I retreated to the village due to lack of school fees. One of the activities that I did was to weed the fields of napier grass with a hoe—manually. I can still remember that day. My mind was flooded with ideas as I took action, albeit action that I did not enjoy. A steward has to be an action oriented person. You do not need a degree or a job to do this.

6. Reader

I cannot over-emphasize this. How many jobless people are reading world-wide? Isn’t it interesting that the greatest readers (outside of school) are not the jobless? What does that tell you? A steward is someone who is curious and hungry for information. They want to be well informed so that they can maximize their talent so that they can serve well. A reading steward is a wise one and they get trusted more. Do you need a job to do this? Perhaps a degree?

7. Disciplined

By far, the most undisciplined people on the face of the earth are the jobless. Correct me if I am wrong. Look at the time you spent at home without a job. Can you say without lying that you were disciplined? A disciplined person who is able to lead themselves is preparing to lead others. If I can find a jobless person who has a personal timetable for the whole week, I would move heaven and earth to find them something constructive to do…or link them up…or fund some of their activities.

Parting Shot

The thing with a steward is what I call “Incremental growth”. A faithful steward will always be given ranks up the heirrachy. IN other words, you will not necessarily see the “steady income” as you go about being a steward…but you certainly are on the road to growth and being a better person in society. Look at it this way: Whom would you rather be? A Steward or a Jobless? So this goes out to all the so called “Jobless”. Can you dare to be a Steward? At least for this one year? See what happens. Over to you.