Today I was on YouTube, checking on one of my side projects. I have a channel on there that deals with my hobby of plastic model building. It’s a just for fun project, but I have to monitor it from time to time, because occasionally spammers try to hit it with inappropriate comments for inappropriate content. Before I even got into my channel though, something caught my eye. It was a music video for a band with a name that suggested it might be interesting to me and my fellow creatives and so I decided to check it out. 

The song started off well. The band has that hard rock/metal sound that, at almost 60 years old, I still have not managed to outgrow. The musicianship was really pretty good and the band was tight. Then the singer started. She was also really talented and clearly a good performer, but there was a problem. She started lifting her finger. I’ll let you imagine which one, and she began to cuss at me with words that would only maybe be appropriate if I had shot her puppy and I’m not even sure they would be appropriate even then. This band started off as one I could have been a fan of and recommended to others, but that quickly devolved between the language, the gestures and a completely unnecessary wardrobe choice. Pity. This is a band with an excessive amount of talent, I just couldn’t get into the message they were trying to convey. Don’t get me wrong, none of this will hurt the band, neither I nor many of my readers would likely be in their target demographic, nor would I want to hurt them, but it did get me thinking, when have I created with my finger in the air?

Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t done that literally, but there have been times when I have gotten out the poison pen and created things that have been more about proving a point or putting someone in their place, than they were about shining a light. How about you? There have been times where someone or something has angered me and I decided to respond using my gift, but lately I have come away wondering is that the best use for a gift that I acknowledge comes from God. It’s a dicey proposition. Is there a time to make a statement? Sometimes, yes. Is there a time to share an uncomfortable truth? Absolutely. As a Christian, does my work always have to make people feel good about themselves and their choices? Absolutely not, but what is the attitude I am bringing to the table? Am I trying to lead people into truth, or am I creatively slapping them back for some perceived slight? And if I do that, how much different am I than the singer with her fingers in the air?

What should we be trying to make our work say and what should we be saying with our work? When we create a piece of work, what should be our guide? God, His Word and His Holy Spirit is the short answer. Beyond that, I think Philippians 4:15 gives us a good guideline. “Rather, speaking the truth in love…” When I look at my work, before I release it to the world, this would be a great place to start. “Does it speak the truth?” If it checks that box, we need to follow up with the question, “Does it speak the truth in love?” Is the motivation of my heart positive change, being helpful, etc.? If not and I want to reflect Christ, it’s not done, nor is it ready for release. Our work at it’s best should be dedicated to bringing about positive change, so maybe we should also consider the rest of the verse. After all why are we speaking the truth in love? The rest of the verse says, “we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” The goal is to help people to come to know, love, follow and become like Christ. That is what our work should say.