Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!

For praise from the upright is beautiful.

Praise the Lord with the harp;

Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.

Sing to Him a new song;

Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

For the word of the Lord is right,

And all His work is done in truth.

He loves righteousness and justice;

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

—Psalm 33:1–6

Last week, I was blessed to attend The Creative Summit: Exploring Faith, Vocation & Imagination, a two-day event held by the Creative Arts Collective for Christian Life & Faith at Belmont University. I encountered this organization when I went to Wedgwood Circle’s Annual Event & Showcase last year in Franklin, TN.

The name of the organization intrigued me, and I approached their table to learn more about the work they do. I love that they support Christian artists, and their mission resonated with me: “To inspire people from diverse contexts to discover and live the beauty and wisdom of the Christian story and encounter God through the Arts.”

I signed up for their newsletter on the spot and was excited when I saw the announcement for The Creative Summit. I jumped at the chance to spend time among other creatives—especially Christian creatives—and though I had no idea what to expect, the speaker lineup alone told me that I’d undoubtedly be both inspired and edified by the experience.

I interacted with artists working in a wide variety of fields, as well as pastors and other church leaders interested in learning more about the ways the arts can support their ministries. Many deep, meaningful conversations were had about what it means to be a Christian who also creates art, and what it looks like to trust your creative journey to the Lord, even when that path is fraught with challenges and disappointment.

Since my first book was a Christian devotional, you might think that I spend a lot of time pondering the ways my faith informs my writing and vice versa.

In writing faith-based material, my Christianity is a given and on full display, yet beyond that, the relationship between my faith and my writing isn’t always at the forefront of my mind. The main reason is that my faith, like many of my inherent characteristics, simply is.

Even so, attending the summit helped me realize that my level of intentionality in the relationship between my art and my faith is often lacking. When I’m not writing faith-based content, how does my work reflect the three virtues that were oft-mentioned during the summit: good, true, and beautiful?

I’ve encountered Christians who don’t think the arts are important. I’m always quick to cite Genesis 4:21, which says, “His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.” From the beginning of mankind’s existence, music was an integral part of life. Then I might direct them to David, who wrote so many beautiful psalms and played his lyre to soothe Saul when the king was afflicted.

After that, I’d encourage them to read more about the construction of the tabernacle and the artistic gifts given to Bezalel and Aholiab, which are mentioned in Exodus 31:2–11.

If the arts-averse person made the argument that these were all Old Testament examples, I’d point out that Jesus and the apostles were undoubtedly singing psalms in the synagogues when they went to worship. And I’d bring up Paul and Silas singing hymns in prison (Acts 16:25), as well as Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 5:19: “[speak] to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

As an extra-biblical example, I might mention the stained glass that aided people in learning about the Father and the Son before the invention of the printing press and increased literacy rates.

Of course, the best and preeminent case for the value of art in the Christian life is God Himself.

The first verse in the Bible tells us, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, emphasis added). God Himself is the Creator and is thus the most creative of all beings. In the psalm I shared above, I love how it says that “by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6). All God has to do is speak, and something comes into being.

I can’t help but think that God had a lot of fun during the six days of creation. All of the stars and planets, all of the animals and plants, all of the bodies of water and land masses, and every other aspect of creation was carefully, tenderly, and perfectly created by our loving Father. He thought of humankind—of each one of us—as He set about making a world that was ideal for us to inhabit. And though God’s perfection creation was corrupted from Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, it’s still the only planet in our solar system that can sustain us.

Our Creator God created us to be creative! To me, that’s validation enough that crafting things that are good, beautiful, and true through any and all art forms is a valid and worthy pursuit. We can be the Bezalels and Aholiabs of our generation, using the gifts the Lord has blessed us with to create works of art that honor and glorify Him. May we take this calling seriously and ask Him to lead us into such work He’s prepared in advance for us to do.

With love in Christ,

Amanda

xoxo

Scripture taken from the New King James Version^®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.