The Opposite of Steward Is Victim
Illustration
by Editor James S. Hewett

In his book, The Search for Power, Harvard Professor David C. McClelland contends that there are four stages in the development of the individual to maturity:

Stage 1: Power is perceived as coming from others, but is directed toward oneself.

Stage 2: Power is perceived as residing within oneself, and is used for the needs of the self.

Stage 3: Power is perceived as residing within oneself, but is used for the sake of others.

Stage 4: Power is perceived as residing outside, coming through the self, but used for the sake of others.

This stage is what religion is all about. And faith. And theology. And Jesus.

It is the task of career development to help remove the last vestiges of Stage 1 (where we feel like "victims") from our lives, by teaching that even in the world of work, power resides within us, and can be used for the sake of others. So as long as men and women do not know or believe this, theology may well beckon them in vain, to Stage 4. We must first learn that we are not victims, before we learn that we are stewards.

Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Illustrations Unlimited, by Editor James S. Hewett