If you were to look through my order history on Amazon, you would have no trouble discerning what my different hobbies have been throughout the years. Five years ago, I was ordering fountain pens and ink wells. Three years ago, I was ordering woodworking tools and gadgets. More recently, an abundance of cooking and kitchen tools have found their way into my cart.

I’ve always enjoyed finding new hobbies in which to immerse myself, but it wasn’t until I took a spiritual gifts inventory with my church’s launch team that I had considered whether or not there was a common theme between any of them. To my surprise, the inventory revealed that I scored highest as a craftsman. This was unexpected. I wouldn’t consider myself a craftsman. That title takes years of commitment, practice, and diligence to earn. It’s also an accolade you really don’t give yourself, but one that is bestowed upon you. But this discovery opened up a new dialogue with the Lord about how He had made me, what He intends for craftsmanship to mean, and how I might reflect upon it. Craftsmanship is built into my personality. God has made me this way. And through becoming a craftsman, there is more of God's character to discover, as well as deeper holiness and sanctification to grow in.

Craftsmanship helps us grow in the fruit of the spirit

Becoming a craftsman engrains in us a multitude of Christian virtues and habits, not the least of which is patience. For example, the flavors in a Bolognese sauce take hours to develop, as herbs and vegetables are slowly simmered and broken down over low heat. The work slow and methodical because the product is worth the time and care spend on it. The same is true in becoming a craftsman: the Holy Spirit can catalyze the growth of patience and self-control in our lives. The end result is (almost) always worth the wait, but it takes time.

Becoming a craftsman also engrains diligence, or faithfulness, in us. Every ingredient, every cut of wood, every word, is vitally important to the whole, and can’t be half-heartedly or hastily pushed through just because it isn’t the star of the show. It is imperative that we care for every single detail of whatever it is we are creating. This discipline naturally carries over into the rest of our lives. In conversations with your spouse, menial busywork at your job, or time spent with your children, every detail is worthy of nothing less than your full attention and your best effort. We should be faithfully diligent in everything that we do.

Craftsmanship shows us who God is

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God is a master craftsman. Genesis begins with the account of creation, with God calling everything He made “good.” In Romans, Paul tells us that the quality of God’s handiwork, which is readily available for all men to see in the world around them, is sufficient to condemn those who refuse to honor Him as Creator. And the psalmists especially invite us to praise God for the works of His hands:

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Ps. 19:1)
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Ps. 139:13-14)

Craftsmanship is the first thing that the Bible tells us about who God is. It is essential to His nature. How should this inform our worship? What does the work of God’s hands tell us about who He is, about His nature?

Our Creator pays expert attention to even the smallest detail.

Whether it’s the inner machinations of the human eye or the finely tuned balance of an ecosystem, the complexity of God’s handiwork shows us that no detail is too small to escape His attention. It should comfort us that not one area of our lives goes unseen by Him. He knows down to the penny what bills you may be struggling to pay or knows full-well the extent of the chronic pain that you endure. Nothing escapes His eye and no matter what may befall us, we are safe in His grasp.

Our Creator does not grow weary in His work but is patient and confident in His timing.

The best things in life take time. A baby forms in the womb for nine months. The most grandiose redwood tree is hundreds of years old. We often feel impatient at God’s timing. The good things we know that God wants to do in us and through us regularly take far longer to come to fruition than we want them to. But through this, God is shaping us into useful vessels and honing our skills in whatever we’re setting our hands to.

Our Creator begins with an end result in mind, and everything He does serves that result.

God created the world with His glorification and the joy of His people being made full in mind. God always works in creation and in our lives for His glory and for our good. Even if a season of life makes no sense to us, God is ordaining and guiding our steps as He leads us in our callings, and ultimately toward the day in which He is exalted in all the earth.

Caleb Hickey

Caleb Hickey, his wife Alaina, and their son Jack, live in Kansas City, MO, where they serve as members on the launch team for Radiant Church.