In the past I thought of God as a practical robot, wanting me to give all my money to the poor, and spend all my spare time and energy reading the bible, praying, or helping someone. But God cares about beauty, artistic design and times of refreshment. There is no artistic skill except what God created.¹ God wanted the Levites to be skilled in music, and he specifically created Bezalel and Oholiab to make artistic designs on the temple.² The scripture is full of non-practical beauty, the Song of Songs is dedicated to romance, and many of the Psalms are poems or songs. God knows what is pleasing to the eye the ear and the nose. The bible is full of things such as the awesome power of the ocean, the colors of the sunset, the emotions of peace love and joy, the attributes of humility and kindness, the sweet smell of perfume, and the pleasantness of laughter, a timely word or a desire fulfilled. When God warns us about the cares of this world or the desire for other things, he is talking about the pleasures that distract us, not the pleasures that make us thankful.³ There is a time and a place for everything.⁴ God tells us that a soldier doesn’t concern himself with everyday life, when he is on a mission.⁵ God isn’t saying, he doesn’t ever want us to enjoy things, he is saying, we need to restrain from pleasures, when he has something else for us to be doing. God promised that his plan for our life is full of good things, although he also said it would be full of trials and suffering.⁶ He gives and he takes away, blessed be his name. We should not be surprised that God gives us artistic abilities, and opportunities to exhibit them. If we can accept hard things from God, we should also accept good things.⁷

① Exodus 31:6    ② Exodus 31:3–4 / Psalm 33:3    ③ Mark 4:18-20 / 1 Corinthians 10:29-31    ④ Ecclesiastes 3:1    ⑤ 2 Timothy 2:4    ⑥ Mark 10:30 / Colossians 2:12 / Romans 8:17 / 2 Corinthians 1:5    ⑦ Job 2:10