Season 1 Wrap Up and Sabbatical Post
To quote most of the angels in the Bible: do not fear! Next month we will be launching a new Monday blog series — this one designed for all the storytellers out there (no matter what medium you use!) — and are already getting some ideas going for ECC, Season 2. And, as always, SALT will continue to roll on with the reviews on Friday!
Thank you all again, so much for the wonderful feedback and encouragement that you have given me. See you all in September!
You Got This!
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” - 2 Timothy 2:15
Alright, Christian creative, we’ve reached the end of this first season of Encouraging Christian Creatives. Hopefully you have been encouraged and have a pocketful of new tools, skills, tricks, and habits to help you navigate this creative life through a Godly lens!
Encourage Others!
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” - Hebrews 10:24-25
When was the last time you talk to a fellow creative and what did you talk about? Do you remember what the tone of the conversation was? Was it upbeat and enthusiastic, or was it full of grumbling and complaints?
Good Creative Habits for the Christian
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” - Hebrews 12:1
Practically, what does it look like to be a Christian creative? What sort of habits can we get into that would benefit our work, those around us, and bring glory and honor to God?
Perseverance!
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” - Galatians 6:9
All these encouraging tricks, rest, and theology in the world and occasionally it all boils down to a single word: perseverance.
Use the Sabbath to Worship God
“…casting all your anxieties on Him, for He cares for you…” - 1 Peter 5:7
We are often busy throughout the week with work and the various chores of life. We may only have ten or fifteen minutes to spend fully focused on God each morning or evening as we are coordinating our lives. The Sabbath, however, gives us a brilliant opportunity to give God more of our attention.
Rest Comes with Discipline
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” - Hebrews 12:11
Rest is like any other aspect of faith: it requires discipline, self-control, and trust in God Our Father. In requires us to be disciplined to set aside time for rest. Then we have to use that discipline to guard it viciously, so that we can properly follow God’s commandment about the Sabbath.
God’s Old Testament Instructions for the Sabbath
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” - Exodus 34:21
God established the Sabbath by taking a day to rest Himself, however, as He rescue the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, He incorporated the same rest into His instructions for them. First in the Ten Commandments, then to the rest of the Levitical laws with the same premise: for six days you work, for one day you do absolutely no work whatsoever.
God Rested on the 7th Day and Made it Holy
“By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested…then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…” Genesis 2:2-3.
Why did God rest? The Bible isn’t overtly clear about this, but it does fit in with something that God does do an awful lot: give us an example to follow.
It’s Okay to be Weary
It is okay to be weary.
We are finite in mind, body, and soul in a broken world that sometimes takes more energy out of us than we can replenish.
There Are Seasons for Everything
One of the greatest debates of our time is when to start playing Christmas music. Some people like to start before Halloween and enjoy almost three months of a Christmassy season. To some people that ridiculous and Christmas music isn’t allowed to start until November. Still others find any Christmas music before December 1st to be absolutely intolerable!
Don't Idolize Your Work
The term idol usually brings up images of carved gods and goddesses, or perhaps a golden calf, or other images of things that people worship instead of the Lord our God. In essence, we usually view idols as something that exists in the physical realm to actually kneel before and pray to.
Our Works Should Show Love to Our Neighbor
The second commandment of the entire Bible is to love one’s neighbor.
Great! That’s kind of nonspecific!
No worries, there are a lot of ways to show love!
Our Work is for GOD, Not Man
Being diligent, obedient, and sacrificial in your job is serving Jesus. No, really! It says it right there in the Bible! You don’t have to have a direct ministry calling or go live as a hermit, only studying the Word, or become a monk or nun to serve Jesus. Unless He calls you specifically to something different, He wants you to be diligent in the job He has given you — be that creative or not!
The World Will Hate What You Make
The world by and large is not going to like or appreciate what you create. There’s no easy or delicate way to put that. In fact, it’s more Biblically accurate to say that the world is going to hate what you create. We were called and set apart by Jesus Christ to chase after His image, and the world really, really hates Him.
No, We Don't Have to Put Bible Verses Everywhere
…putting Bible verses or drawing little crosses into the things we create is not a requirement or a commandment, especially when it comes from glorified peer pressure. Indeed, God’s Word says nothing about needing to put Scriptural references into our work and it says a lot about the kind of work we are called to do.
We Are the Salt and Light of the Earth
I have a lot to say on the topic of salt. It seasons and preserves food, serves as a necessary electrolyte, and it is delicious. It’s a significant and important factor in our oceans, providing a home for numerous species of plants and animals. In fact, salt is so important that it is one of the five major taste sensations!
But the Bible asks a good question: what good is salt that has lost its saltiness?
We Can't Be Lazy
You’re in your pajamas. You’ve got your favorite streaming service on the TV. You’ve got some popcorn, some pizza, and a whole day ahead of you to binge watch the latest drama. And that’s great!
For a rest day.
For every day, it’s not so much a good idea.
Good Work Part 2, God Instructs Us to do Good Work
So, what exactly does that mean? I can’t really reinvent the rainbow…
It means that, in using our God-given abilities and talents, we strive to do good work. At the core of all we do, we should have our ultimate goals be to honor God in a way that pleases Him and encourages our neighbors towards His truth.
Good Work Part 1, God Does Good Work
God is the definition of Good. True Good, He can do nothing but good. Which means that all of His work, both in the creation of the world and in His actions after the Fall, are ultimately good.
What is, then, ‘good work’?