For a long time, I couldn’t figure out why good design mattered so much to me.
I couldn’t figure out –
Why it felt like my eyeballs were going to pop out if I had to keep looking at a document that used Comic Sans,
Why I could scroll through pictures of incredible interior design for hours and hours,
Why something inside me felt like it was on fire when I saw churches using 2003 WordArt in their publicity AGAIN,
Why it took everything inside of me to not straighten all the paintings on the wall at the doctor’s office,
and so on.
“Is there something wrong with me? Am I just really petty? Why do these things matter so much? It’s not that big a deal!”
And to be fair, in the grand scheme of life, those things aren’t a big deal – I know.
But I’m sure you’ve been able to relate, somehow, at some point in your life, to the feelings I’ve had (okay, maybe not everyone hates Comic Sans with a burning passion like I do, but I digress). And I’m here to tell you that I think there’s a reason why human beings are made to appreciate good design (or have an issue with the lack thereof).
Because we were made in the image of the greatest designer. We have our Father’s eyes. We have His traits. We’re a reflection of Him. And God is THE DESIGNER.
One of the first things we read about in the Scriptures is the story of Creation, where God takes six whole days (or periods of time) to just CREATE stuff. After every day, it says, “and God saw that it was good.” (Except on the days that he created humans – on that day, He said “it was VERY good.”)
At the end of the day, God reflected on His design and saw that it was good.
This has incredible implications for us.
But to go even further –
Did you know that the first person recorded in the Bible to be filled with Holy Spirit was a designer?
His name was Bezalel, and he’s one of my heroes. In Exodus 31, the Israelites are getting ready to design the Tabernacle – the very place that God would dwell among them. It says:
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!” The first person that God declared that He filled with His Spirit was a designer. A creative. A craftsman. Why? Because excellent design clearly matters to God. What blows my mind is that God didn’t have to use Bezalel to design anything. He could have just done it Himself. He could have snapped His fingers and created the most mind-blowing, amazing, creative Tabernacle that
we would have never imagined. Right? But He didn’t. He chose Bezalel and filled Him with His spirit to get the job done. In the same way, God doesn’t have to use any of us to create anything. God could have *poofed* all amazing, incredible, mind-blowing art & design into the world with one word by now. The fact that he chooses to work with us – rather, allows us to work with Him – to create new things into in the world is so crazy. New spaces for His spirit to dwell. Design matters so much to us because it matters so much to God. He created us to see things with His ‘design eyes.’ What an honor to be able to design like our Father. If you’re a designer – please, keep doing the work He designed you to do. Create the spaces, build the buildings, publish beautiful graphics, make inspiring music and write amazing things. You’re not designing alone.
Let’s go create something today.
Commentaires