In recent months I have been privileged to spend some time with a friend of mine who has been teaching me some of the things that a man ought to know. He has spent his life working with cars, furniture, machinery, houses and who knows what else. He knows the tricks of the trade, the ins and outs of every practical craft. I know this word gets thrown around pretty recklessly, but he has a set of tools that can accurately and justifiably be called an arsenal. He's one of those people who know the things that I wish I had taken the time to learn. While we work on a project, I do my best to pay attention to what he is doing, and to understand why he's doing it. I think about the craftsmen in the Bible, who were mentioned during the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. I think about these working men whose knowledge of their crafts went deeper than proficiency. These were men we would call "working stiffs." You know, work boots, various Carhartt items, skin like leather, hands like even thicker leather, can outwork any given professional sports team (and does so regularly) despite having not formally exercised since high school. These men had their names called out by the Lord and recorded for all eternity in the Bible because they were skilled craftsmen.
God has called us all to many different works. He has given different gifts and skills to each of us. Whatever He has called you to do, carry it out in the guidance and in the strength of His Holy Spirit. Do it in the way that He has called you to do it. He has called you, out of every soul in the history of the world, to walk in good works that He has prepared beforehand. And, with the same joy that I know when I watch my children play, work, and live their lives, the Lord of Heaven and Earth watches His children walk before Him, delighting in them.