A Divided Heart Splits Your Art

A divided heart splits our gifting in tragic ways.

Isaiah tells a story of how easily it can happen. The tale begins simply enough. A woodsman plants various trees in the forest, nurtures them, and, at the right time, chops one down for the raw material. As Isaiah says: “He cuts down cedars, he selects the cypress and the oak, he plants the ash in the forest to be nourished by the rain. And after his care, he uses part of the wood to make a fire to warm himself and bake his bread…” (Isaiah 44:14-15 TLB)

So far, so good. But then the artisan does something shocking. He takes the rest of the wood and begins to carve an idol for himself: “…and then—he really does—he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god—a god for men to worship! An idol to fall down before and praise! Part of the tree he burns to roast his meat and to keep him warm and fed and well content, and with what’s left he makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down before it and worships it and prays to it. ‘Deliver me,’ he says. ‘You are my god!’”  (44:15-17)

Notice it’s the same person. Using the same gifting. On the same piece of wood. The only difference is, once he’s well fed and warm, he turns his back on the Creator and places his hopes in his creation. As do we when we worship our creativity more than our Creator or look to the work of our hands, rather than God, as the thing that will deliver us. It’s what happens when our heart is divided, partially focused on God…and partially focused on making life work through our gifting. 

This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).

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