Honing Your Craft and God’s Timing

Exodus 37 is dedicated to talking about the artist Bezalel and all the things he made — including the Ark, the Table, the Lampstand, and the Altar of Incense — as a contribution to the Tabernacle.
The chapter literally spends 29 verses (and I see it continues into chapter 38) just going into great detail about how he made the things he made.
God honors excellence. He sees the detail work of this artist. He sees the skill, the training, the expertise, and also, the willingness of the heart. That is why Bezalel was the commissioned artist for this work: he was the best and he had a willing heart.
As an artist, this chapter both affirms what I do and scares me. On one hand, yay! God loves artists and wants us to be the best we can be. On the other hand, I fear that God only loves it when it is in direct service to him or his works.
But, then I think about Bezalel. And all the hours he spent honing his crafts. The years just sitting in his tent (or whatever the heck it is they sat in) cutting wood and gems. All the years spent just getting good. I wonder if he worried that he wasn’t using his gifts directly for the Lord. Maybe a little, but I think he just enjoyed doing the work. You gotta enjoy something if you’re going to spend a huge chunk of your life practicing it.
When the time came for the Israelites to construct the Tabernacle, Bezalel was chosen for these jobs because he was just that dang good. If he didn’t spend all the years just working on his craft because he didn’t see how it was useful to the LORD, then he wouldn’t have been ready for the time that the LORD wanted his gifts.
I love acting and I want to be the best I can be at it. Because the LORD requires excellence and also because I want to be the best.
So, hone your gifts. Do it in any way you can. Just get good. Don’t worry about if it literally is helping the Kingdom or God in anyway. He’s fine. But, there may be a day when He calls you to do a great work. And, if you’re ready, if you’re great, you’ll have the privilege of doing something really cool for God.
Happy Sunday.
