Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ. This devotion goes out to all those who like to do handy kind of stuff. The people who like to be creative or have creative hobbies. It can be anything from wood-working or carpentry to painting or sculpting to gardening to sowing or knitting. No matter what type of handy work it is, I want to talk about those items you have made, created, decorated, assembled, or grown with you own two hands. So as you read this think about that type of hobby or activity you enjoy doing or have done in your past. Got it in mind? Great!
For me I love to do wood-working and carpentry type of work. Over the years I have helped several friends or families fix up or remodel a home. It is fun, challenging work to first deconstruct what was already there, make a huge mess, and then begin the hard work of putting all the new materials up just perfect so it looks perfect when you are done. With each step of dry wall, mud and tape, primer, paint, trim, etc. it begins to look more and more like a house again and when you are finished and have cleaned up for the last time and you stand back and look at the finished product, it seems impossible that such a nicely finished looking wall or room were dusty 2x4 studded walls just a short while ago. However, it goes even further than that. Now ever time I walk into peoples homes and look around, I don't simply look at what color the walls are or what decorations they have up, I observe the different lay-outs, the different styles of walls, trim, etc. I notice the little things that only someone who has done that type of work before truly understands. I notice corners that would be extremely difficult to try to mud and have them come out just right. I notice the detailed work of cutting angled corners of trim and having them line up perfectly tight. (No please don't be scared to invite me to your house because you think I am looking for every little flaw and imperfection. Trust me - I am still fine tuning my own skills and hate looking at jobs I did because I see all my own mistakes,) I am not judging the work, I just have a different appreciate for the labor and effort it took to make your house look the way it does because I have done that type of work myself.
So now think about that project or hobby you have in your mind, if it's gardening, don't you pay special attention to other people's gardens? If it is quilting, don't you appreciate an extremely delicately hand-stitched quilt? If it is painting, don't you examine a painting up close looking for brushstrokes, color mixture, shading, etc.? I am willing to bet you do because you know the process, the labor, and the pain staking care it takes to do that type of work or craft. It means more to you and you have a better understanding of it than someone who has never even attempted that type of effort before. The same as anyone who has never actually done dry-wall work probably never even thinks to look for seams or corners to see how well the mudding and taping job was done. It doesn't mean anything to them, because they don't understand the process or have the memory of doing it themselves.
You take pride in that project, craft, or hobby you have done. because you did it. You made it. You created it. You put the time and effort into making it what it is /and you better than anyone else understands why it works or looks the way it does. This morning's devotion was from Psalm 94 verse 9: "He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?" God is also a creator, an artist, and an inventor. He invented us and created us from scratch. He formed us and made us exactly the way we are. So wouldn't he better than anyone understand us and know exactly how we work? Yes! However, even more than that - God is not an artist who paints a picture and puts it in some back room only to be looked at once in awhile. He is not an inventor who puts his creation on some shelf to get dusty. He is a creator who appreciates his work each and every day. He who gave us ears so that we could hear - listens to us every time we pray. He who gave us eyes so that we can see- stares at us constantly. God is so proud of his handiwork and loves it so much he never lets it out of His sight. He who formed us, knows how we work and is constantly there for us listening to us, watching over us, and loving us every second of every day. Talk about a full time hobby! But thanks be to Him who does love us enough to always hear us, always watch over us and continually love us all the more! In Jesus name, Amen.
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