Before I begin, I want to clarify that I am not a professional artist in any way. But, I have loved art for as long as I can remember. There is something fantastic to me about the newness of every movement, when a whole world is born out of my fingertips, vivacious and free. I love how newborn images spring to life right before my eyes, I love making things with my hands, even if they turn out crooked or blurred, and I love the possibility of a fresh sheet of paper. But what I love most of all about art is the joy it gives us.
Not long ago, a woman saw one of the paintings I made for my mother hanging in our guest bathroom. She asked me if I could make her one, “because,” she said, “that makes me happy and I need some happiness right now.” Before then, I had always seen art as a selfish hobby. Yes, it was fun for me, and occasionally I could be proud of what I made, but what does it really do for people? I didn’t want to waste time with selfishness, so I abandoned it for a while, focusing on my schoolwork and friendships and studying the Bible. (A few more factors went into me taking a break from art, but for the sake of this blog I’ll leave it at that)
I don’t need art because Christ has become my identity, but I had begun to feel purposeless. I like school, my friends, and my youth group, but I have always felt most alive when I create. It’s what we are meant to do isn’t it? God, the first creator, made us in his image (Genesis 1:27) and told us to embrace and develop the world (Genesis 1:28). Our occupations represent this idea of cultivating what God gave us.
The fall and sin didn’t change our original purpose of stewardship, it only made it more difficult to follow.
Art is not the only way of cultivating the earth. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6) I love corporate worship, but I’m not being modest when I say I’m not musically inclined. I can sing loudly or learn to play an instrument badly, but nothing compares to the Lord’s pleasure when I do what I’m made to do. Eric Liddell, an olympic athlete-turned-missionary said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” When a teacher teaches to the best of their ability, they worship God. When an accountant is honest and hard-working, they worship God. When a mother or father serves their family joyfully, they worship God.
When we use the gifts he gave us to His Glory, we worship God not just with our words, but with our lives.
In a few months, I will be leaving on a nine-month mission trip. I plan to take my sketchbook. Not because I can’t live without it, but because art is my best worship. Without worship saturating our lives, missions is pointless. John Piper wrote in his book, Let the Nations Be Glad, “[Worship] Is the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples for the greatness of God.” Missions cannot exist without the presence of worship in the everyday life of the missionary. This is doing our work to the glory of the one who gave it to us. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which he prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
His glory is reflected in my imperfect art because He is the One that breathes the joy into what I make. As I mix the paint, I wonder at His glory. As I press a new stroke onto the canvas, I thank Him for His goodness. I reflect on the peace he instills in my heart, and the bursting bubbles of blessings He overwhelms me with. As I correct mistakes, I feel Him correcting mine, redeeming my mess into something beautiful. And when I stand back to look at the finished product, I smile, because I will be finished one day too. I hope you experience this kind of satisfaction in your pursuits.
Remember the woman who wanted me to paint her a happy picture? She thought I was helping her, but really, that task breathed new purpose into me. Now I recognize the worth of doing what I love not for myself, but in an act of praise to my Father. So let us lift up our best performance to him, while laying our crowns at his feet. I make my art for other people, so that they may see the joy Christ gives me. But really, I make my art for Him, because I love to feel His pleasure when I do what He made me to do.
