If something is made for the Lord, does it matter what it looks like?

I came across one of those random articles you find when you open a new tab in Microsoft Edge and it said "This Ukrainian Model Has Turned Herself into a Real-life Barbie Doll" I didn't think that could be possible, and was going to stop reading when I read a quote from the model that I can't stop thinking about:

“If a nun starts talking about spirituality, will anyone notice her? No, no one will. But if a beautiful, inspiring young woman starts talking about it, many people will start thinking.”

How true is this statement? Tonight I watched a discussion/teaching led by Sergio Cariello (which was amazing! Both informative and humbling...) and I got to thinking... how big of a priority should the quality of work be if you feel you are doing the work for God? I constantly feel doubt about my own work and whether it is worthy of the public that will be viewing it. Would the Lord ask someone to do something they do not yet know if they are even able to create? I know the answer to that is yes, because of Noah. It's not like you heard about him making a whole bunch of arks before he started shoving animals on board. There is SO much art out there however I now wonder when is an idea or venture an idea to pursue and when is it not? The enemy could and WILL try to disuade followers form doing what the Lord has set for them to do. I am blessed to be a part of the Animo card game. Creating art for this game is by far my favorite art project to date. When first toying with the idea of creating this game however the creators had never made a card game before, but did they let that stop them? Thankfully not. Now they are preparing for their third expansion to go to Kickstarter!

I do not want to discourage anyone from pursuing passions that God has set before them. I am curious and am hoping for the thoughts of the community as to how they balance the drive to create for the Lord with the idea that the world may not look at it unless it is in the same league of quality as mainstream comics.

May this spark thought and discussion in you and as J. Vernon McGee would say, may God richly bless you my beloved,

Christina Todd, a flawed, yet loved, child of God.

Hey Christina. I believe every Believer-Artist comes to this crossroads question. That day comes when we begin to care about our responsibility that comes with our capacity to create art... because we see the power it has to influence and inspire others, I know I have wondered if I am enough too. We are blessed with a very powerful communication skill, and we are also partly responsible to do our very best, and that is where we might hesitate and hold back what G-d has planned and purposed for us with the special skills of Creative Visual ART we are given. In scripture, G-d invites the best Artist/Craftsmen to come to the work of building His Temple, etc. So, yes, let us be our very best, that He may lead you and open the doors to you that your work is right for. And, be encouraged that your skills will change for the better over the years as you change for the better, your work changes too. We, Creatives, know we have something different to contribute, so rejoice in that, rejoice also in each phase of your skills and abilities. As for our content and subject matter, remember, we are still subject to the reasonable call of Romans 12:1 & 2. I believe it is vital for us to be honest about the impact our art is capable of achieving on our audiences. Also, we should not judge ourselves too critically as we make the artworks The Lord sets before us. Let Him open each door for us to create and share our unique way of communicating light. Who are we to be pleasing to with what we make? Him! So, it does not matter what others (including ourselves) think of, or judge, our abilities to be at each level of our skills. Let Him/G-d be our Master and Judge our work. Sometimes our art is for the purpose of Light and Inspiration toward others, and other times our art opens a door to meeting people who live and work in dark places, we are allowed to bring light into their midst - then 'who we are' becomes more important than 'what we do'. Your creative skills work for you and with you to communicate Light. Christina, Let Him shape your art, Let Him train, multiply, mature and sharpen your skills into something original to you, and then let Him order your steps to present what He perfects and brings out of you - some work is for the World for His plan of redemption. And some of our work is for rekindling and redeeming Our Passion for serving Him. Don't dwell too much on if your work is good enough, marvel more on your capacity to create things of beauty where there is no beauty. To make art that can ignite inspiration in a stranger for the purpose of His love and kindness for them. To me, in every bit of art I have made, the mystery of 'How Did I Do That' has become a bigger and far more humbling question. I learned to judge my work less, and to be amazed more. Let your work become more than perfection skills or style. Let it become a process of your own testimony, to witness miracles of creativity as they come out of you that keeps you moving upward in your spirit. Step back and let it remind you of what He can do through You! You are not flawed, your are just aware that He is so much more than you, which is a good thing. It is that revelation that makes you useful in His hands. Keep Creating Your Best, and keep praying and lettings Him keep you filled to overflowing! Shema~Selah~Shalom.... Hear His call, Meditate on His attributes and abilities, Live in the peace of all that truth.

Replies

Joseph Ives June 18, 2021 at 6:43am

I would say do your best for the Lord!
sdsmoss June 10, 2021 at 9:30am

Hey Christina. I believe every Believer-Artist comes to this crossroads question. That day comes when we begin to care about our responsibility that comes with our capacity to create art... because we see the power it has to influence and inspire others, I know I have wondered if I am enough too. We are blessed with a very powerful communication skill, and we are also partly responsible to do our very best, and that is where we might hesitate and hold back what G-d has planned and purposed for us with the special skills of Creative Visual ART we are given. In scripture, G-d invites the best Artist/Craftsmen to come to the work of building His Temple, etc. So, yes, let us be our very best, that He may lead you and open the doors to you that your work is right for. And, be encouraged that your skills will change for the better over the years as you change for the better, your work changes too. We, Creatives, know we have something different to contribute, so rejoice in that, rejoice also in each phase of your skills and abilities. As for our content and subject matter, remember, we are still subject to the reasonable call of Romans 12:1 & 2. I believe it is vital for us to be honest about the impact our art is capable of achieving on our audiences. Also, we should not judge ourselves too critically as we make the artworks The Lord sets before us. Let Him open each door for us to create and share our unique way of communicating light. Who are we to be pleasing to with what we make? Him! So, it does not matter what others (including ourselves) think of, or judge, our abilities to be at each level of our skills. Let Him/G-d be our Master and Judge our work. Sometimes our art is for the purpose of Light and Inspiration toward others, and other times our art opens a door to meeting people who live and work in dark places, we are allowed to bring light into their midst - then 'who we are' becomes more important than 'what we do'. Your creative skills work for you and with you to communicate Light. Christina, Let Him shape your art, Let Him train, multiply, mature and sharpen your skills into something original to you, and then let Him order your steps to present what He perfects and brings out of you - some work is for the World for His plan of redemption. And some of our work is for rekindling and redeeming Our Passion for serving Him. Don't dwell too much on if your work is good enough, marvel more on your capacity to create things of beauty where there is no beauty. To make art that can ignite inspiration in a stranger for the purpose of His love and kindness for them. To me, in every bit of art I have made, the mystery of 'How Did I Do That' has become a bigger and far more humbling question. I learned to judge my work less, and to be amazed more. Let your work become more than perfection skills or style. Let it become a process of your own testimony, to witness miracles of creativity as they come out of you that keeps you moving upward in your spirit. Step back and let it remind you of what He can do through You! You are not flawed, your are just aware that He is so much more than you, which is a good thing. It is that revelation that makes you useful in His hands. Keep Creating Your Best, and keep praying and lettings Him keep you filled to overflowing! Shema~Selah~Shalom.... Hear His call, Meditate on His attributes and abilities, Live in the peace of all that truth.
Brien Sparling May 14, 2021 at 6:32pm

Great thoughts and I hope some others respond!
I'm going to use "Art" to refer to every artistic expression (music, poetry, dance, sand-art....) when I say that every expression (that's in line with the Holy Spirit and scripture) that's dedicated to God in love is worship and is precious to Him. On the flip side, no one (including the artist) can look at such an act of worship and say it was a waste of time. The next level of difficult decisions is when the creator decides to level-up acts of worship into a ministry, and now the artistic expressions are impacting as well as putting demands on other lives. It drives us to prayer, doubts, counseling with others and (best of all) exercising the faith that God is growing in us.

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