Many years ago my brother-in-law had a new house built. After living in it for a while he and his wife began to have problem after problem with the plumbing system. Finally, after getting no help from the builder, my brother-in-law rented a backhoe and dug up his front yard. He later joked that he wondered why he had the greenest yard on the block. Well it turned out that the builder had never connected the plumbing of their house to the city's sewage system and all of their waste water was, in reality, fertilizing the front yard.
Good craftsmanship - that which is well-done, crafted with care, and presented with pride. In a world where value is frequently placed more on the cheap, easy, and fast option, finding good craftsmanship seems oftentimes to be a rarity. Yet, we still know quality when we see and experience it. It stands out. It makes us take pause and notice. We know who we can expect good craftsmanship from because for them it's a way of doing life.
I would like to take a moment to encourage my students, and anyone, to be people of good craftsmanship, not just with art but in everything. If we are made in the image of God, and if He is the masterful Creator, then it makes sense for us to do things well too. In Colossians 3:23-24, Paul admonishes us to "do [our] work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord [we] will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom [we] serve." I also love what Jordan Raynor says in his book, Called to Create, "The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes..."
Just something to think about.
