Craft masters

Although it’s always been a concept that has fascinated me, lately I’ve been focused on the idea of craft. I saw the new Michael Jackson movie and wrote about it here. Watching Michael Jackson at his peak was to watch a master at his craft. 

The list of masters of their craft I’ve admired and studied  continues to grow. Some examples are Tiger Woods, Jerry Seinfeld, Gerry Spence, Neal Peart, and Eddie Van Halen. Any of these people could talk to you for hours about their craft because they were not merely freaks of nature with natural talent. They were students of their vocation, who developed their innate ability into exceptional skill.

They studied their craft for a lifetime to understand what makes one competent, what makes one excellent, and then how to transcend excellence. They mastered the techniques of those who came before. Then they adapted them, twisted them, and turned them on their head. They understood why some thing work and others don’t. They know why fundamentals are foundational and when those rules can be sacrificed for the sake of excellence.

I’ve argued here in my recent five-part series that Christian stewardship demands development of one’s ability in the fulfillment of our calling. The master gives to his servants according to their ability (Matthew 25:15), and he rewards them according to their performance (Matthew 25:21, 23). So, craft matters.

Now, I want to add a nuance.

Assignments vs callings

Although we talk in terms of a person’s calling, people actually have many callings in their lives. A calling is something the Lord has summoned us to do to carry out His will on earth. It may be as short term as witnessing to a coworker or teaching Sunday School for a summer at church, or it may be as long term as the job we perform for 40 years. 

For the sake a clarity, we will call short-term tasks “assignments” and career-term assignments “callings.” The distinction matters. Although we tend to think of the latter as divine callings and the former as issues of obedience, they all constitute the “work” the Lord requires of us.

The real difference between shorter term assignments and career-length ones is what obedience in response to each looks like. 

When we talk of career-term assignments — callings — we are talking about the primary, long term task(s) God intends us to accomplish on the earth through our labor.  Hence, with regard to calling we rightly talk in terms of what God created us to do. 

Here then, it is appropriate to look at how He has hard-wired us for clues as to what He has called us. And, as discussed in the previous series here, it is appropriate to talk of developing that innate ability toward the goal of mastering a craft so that when we reach the end of our career, He can say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21, 23).

How assignments differ from callings

Assignments, on the other hand, because of their nature, do not as as often call for craft so much as availability. The Bible is replete with examples of ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things for God, not because they were skilled but because they were available and obedient.

For example, when the Lord told Ananias to go lay hands on Saul of Tarsus, there is no indication Ananias was a master of any particular ministry craft. He wasn’t an apostle. He wasn’t a famous preacher. He was simply available and obedient. Yet his willingness to obey played a role in the conversion of the Apostle Paul and changed the course of church history. See Acts 9:10-19.

Years ago, I had just such an assignment. I was a busy trial attorney in my nineteenth year of practice, managing the law firm I founded, when our church lost its pastor. We had an informal leadership team, of which I was a part, but none of us were trained for the ministry. I was also by far the busiest. Yet, it became increasingly clear the Lord was calling me to lead the church. 

I was obedient to the call. I preached three times a month, led the church out of debt, in a rebranding and relaunch, and ultimately in finding a new pastor a year later.  Although I read books on preaching and church growth and talked to experienced pastors about best practices to be the best I could be, I was by no means a master of my temporary craft as a pastor. 

In fact, when we had a church consultant do a survey of our church health, we ranked highest in parking. Yes, parking. We had plenty of parking—not the kind of thing you brag about at pastors’ conferences. 

Availability trumps skill in assignments

Still, what mattered in this assignment more than my skill was my availability and obedience. We eventually found a real pastor, and he led our church from a group of fifty die-hards to nearly 900, at our most recent Easter service. 

In the short term assignments, availability will often trump our skill. You may be the only Christian your coworker knows who is willing to share the gospel with him. And even though you are not a pastor or in the professional ministry, you are available. So, the Lord assigns you the task. 

Or you may be tapped to be interim whatever while your employer looks for someone with the education and training to fill the position permanently. These temporary assignments are no less “callings,” and they require our best efforts. But usually, more important than our qualifications, is our availability and obedience.

When it comes to your career, it is different. You are in it for the long-haul. It is your calling. And he Lord expects a return on His investment. That is when craft matters. GS