When Creativity Becomes Ministry

The vast array of colored yarn surrounded me. Some skeins were scattered across the floor, while others were already strung up and waiting to be woven on large pedal looms. I watched as a masterpiece was created before my eyes. With the constant rhythm of his bare feet moving up and down on the treadles, the weaver’s gentle hands moved diligently back and forth. There, in the smooth synchronization of the pulling and the pedaling, an intricate design was slowly beginning to emerge.

A steady cadence echoed in the hot, dusty, old wooden structure I was standing in.

As I studied the detail of the elegant white and blue pattern being created by these talented hands and feet, I stood there in awe. I tried to imagine the years of practice, devotion, and innate skill that were needed for this type of handiwork. This man knew his art. 

I, however, have tried to keep my own creative abilities from spilling out of a messy box labeled “hobby” for most of my life. It looks a little like beauty intermingled with toilet paper rolls, balls of twine, and scraps of kitenge. I’ve never fully embraced my creativity for the gifting that it is or the countless ways the Lord has used it to highlight his beauty. I didn’t realize that the artistic nature woven into my very being could be integral to the way I serve others around me. Now this natural ability to create has begun infiltrating every aspect of life. 

Ministry might look more like making salt dough dinosaur bones for your children to excavate than leading a group of village pastors in the ways of discipleship and sharing in their joys and testimonies.

In Exodus 31, there is an account of two men who were filled with the Spirit of God and given the ability to engage in all kinds of crafts. Bezalel and Oholiab were gifted with creativity to the nth degree!

This creativity would be needed for all that they had been called by God to do.

This giving of gifts is explained further in Exodus 31:3–5, when the Lord said to Moses, “And I have filled [Bezalel] with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft” (ESV). In verse 6, the Lord enabled Oholiab to do the same.

These two men were called upon to use their artistic skill to create the ark of the testimony, the tent of meeting, and all the furnishings in it. This also included the holy garments for Aaron and the other priests to wear. They were given the ability to be architects, carpenters, stone carvers, designers, and tailors. They were even given the task to make “the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place” (Ex. 31:11). As they followed the Lord’s blueprint and created, they were already directing others towards the beauty and majesty of God.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”.

Even though I’m not as outwardly involved in ministry as I once imagined, the Lord has been pulling up the creativity buried deep within me and bringing me opportunities to use it in surprising ways.

Just as that tapestry was brought to life by the hands and feet of that skilled weaver, we too are woven together with creativity intertwined into the core of our very being. With a myriad of skills and abilities that the Lord has placed within each of us, we only need to be willing to use those gifts to bring others closer to him. This ministry of creativity can be a way of loving others and pointing them to the beauty and good news of Jesus.

After all, we are a reflection of the One who created us.

The One who scattered the stars across the heavens that brighten up the night. 

The One who uses vibrant colors to create a rainbow after it rains.

The One who causes the wildflowers to grow from seeds carried by the wind.

The One who paints brilliant sunsets on the horizon as another day draws to a close.

You may not be responsible for using your creativity to build a tabernacle or tent of meeting, but don’t discount the Lord’s use of creativity and artistic nature in your life. Whether you are on the frontline of ministry or behind the scenes in the quiet (or not so quiet) of your own home, he has prepared you for good works, even if it looks different than what you anticipated.

When a work of art is in progress, it rarely looks like a work of art. Yet, like the colorful yarn waiting to be used, the potential to bring God’s beauty to the world is something the Lord already birthed long ago in you.

In what ways has ministry in your host country looked different than you expected? In what areas do you think the Lord is nudging you to use the creative abilities he has given you?