I sat with my friend Craig the other evening and we were talking about our families, mainly trading humorous stories about children and grandchildren. He shared that one of the traditional things he tried to do with each of his children was to give them a small tool box with some essential household tools, including things like a small hammer, screw driver, fasteners with which hang pictures, etc. They were the kind of things every well-bred American should have handy to sustain the spirit of pioneering and building in the wilderness our forefathers had when they landed on the shores of this country. We digressed from there to talk about hobbies, things we had built, and the power tools we owned. I knew I had power tools somewhere in my garage, but it had been a long time since they’d seen the light of day. You see, my power tools were an extension of a “season of life” hobby and when I grew tired of that hobby they became less necessary to what I was doing in life.
I began to recognize a difference between a hobbyist and a craftsman. A hobbyist has toys that enhance his experience of the hobby, whereas a craftsman has tools. A craftsman is someone who has honed his skill like the fine edge of a knife and applies that skill to the task at hand. The craftsman seeks to see something well done, not just once, but with consistency, and his tools are just an extension of his skill. For a hobbyist to become a craftsman and turn toys into tools, it takes time and practice. It takes time engaged in the art and practice of craftsmanship to begin to form a true craftsman. A hobbyist, on the other hand, takes no time at all to become. Anyone can become a hobbyist with some toys with which to play.
I have found that at times I approach the spiritual life more like a hobbyist than a craftsman. I engage in it while it suits me and the various gifts at my disposal are like toys that help me enjoy the hobby more. But when it suits my fancy, I move on to the next hobby, and the next. I think in all this I am grateful that God sees me not so much as a hobby, but as a reflection of His fine craftsmanship. He seeks to see my life as not just done, but done well. He seeks to continue relentlessly in the task of revealing and refining His image within me. He is the master craftsman and I am His work of beautiful form and function.
But I must also realize that the Lord God wants me to approach my life with Him not as a hobbyist, but also as a craftsman, seeking the consistency and skill of a something well done. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, makes this statement, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). As the Master Craftsman, God, is at work in me I am to, in turn, reflect His craftsmanship in the way I live out and express His life throughout each day. I am, in a sense, to be an apprentice to His skill and craftsmanship in all I do and say.
To grow in my relationship with Jesus I must apply the time and energy of a craftsman rather than approach it as a hobbyist. This takes the willingness to engage in the appropriate practices that train me in craftsmanship. God is engaged in a great endeavor, the transformation of my life, and He has invited me to join Him in the work He is accomplishing. This is work not for the casual hobbyist, but intended for one practiced in the ways of the Master Craftsman, Jesus. As I spend time in His presence each day, each hour, each moment, I find He invites me to join Him and participate in His work of transformation. He shows me the tools of the trade and how to appropriately use them to reveal the intended work He is doing. Only as I submit to His instruction and loving attention will I see revealed the masterpiece He is creating in, through, and with me.
How might Jesus be inviting you to join Him in the great work of transformation He is performing in your life? How might you, this day, approach relationship with Him like a craftsman rather than just a hobbyist? There is a great work being done and you too can become an apprentice of Jesus and learn to live out, by the power of His Holy Spirit, the eternal life He intends for you. May the Lord strengthen you this day to engage in this great work of transformation today.
