“The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1)

I use the word “my” all the time. My house. My money. My time. My career. My abilities. My family. My plans. My possessions. My body. My life. It reminds me of the seagulls in the movie “Finding Nemo,” who repeatedly squawked and screamed, “Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!” Can you hear them?

I felt challenged by that word while praying Psalm 24:1. Once again, I lingered on the very first verse, despite the many treasures waiting in the rest of the psalm.

“The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.”

After reading that verse, my mind immediately went to I Corinthians 4:7, where Paul asks a piercing question:

“What do you have that you did not receive?”

The answer is “nothing”. Everything belongs to God. The house I call mine is built on His earth. The money in my account came through abilities and opportunities He allowed me to have. The hours I carefully guard are hours He gave me. The people I love are gifts entrusted to me. Even the breath I just took was received, not earned.

Yet somehow, what God gives me can slowly become what I believe belongs to me. And once I call something “mine,” I tend to hold it more tightly. My hands close around my plans, my resources, my comfort, my time, and the people I love, afraid of what might happen if I let go.

But I am not the owner of all I have; I am a steward. And stewardship looks different from ownership. An owner says, “This is mine. I decide what happens to it.” A steward says, “This is Yours. How do You want me to use it?”

Psalm 24:1 reminds me that I came into this world empty-handed, and everything since then has been received from God. Maybe the question isn’t simply, “What do I have?” Maybe the better question is, “What has God entrusted to me—and what does He want me to do with it?”

Lord, forgive me for claiming as mine what has always been Yours. Everything I have has come from Your hand. Loosen my grip on the things I try to control, and teach me to receive Your gifts with gratitude, hold them with open hands, and use them for Your glory. Amen.