Artisans of Love
Week 23 | The Unitive Way
A life of virtue takes the shape of divinity. So when we’re acquiring the virtues, we’re growing into the kind of persons who can love like God loves. We’re becoming artisans of love.
An artisan is someone who is highly skilled at creating, someone who has a personal knowledge and mastery of their craft.
Becoming an artisan requires an intimate apprenticeship over many years. During this process, it’s not just information that is imparted from master to apprentice, but the master’s mindset, attitudes, habits, and ultimately character.
Our goal is not just to become apprentices, but artisans.
And this is what Jesus offers when he says, “Follow me.” It’s the same hands-on training in love.
For Christ will not be satisfied until our faces are luminous, until they radiate the love of God. We begin as apprentices; he will grow us into artisans.
Room to Reflect
In what areas of your life do you sense Jesus inviting you into deeper apprenticeship - hands-on learning in love?
Think of someone who embodies Christlike love. What specific habits or attitudes make their “craft” of love so evident?
When you imagine your face becoming “luminous” with the love of God, what do you think that might look like in everyday life?
I am familiar with "apprentice" but am intrigued by "artisan" of love. What would you say are some key differences, if any, between having an apprentice mindset and artisan mindset when it comes to following Jesus?
Thanks for reading and the thoughtful comment.
An artisan is what grows out of a long apprenticeship. We never stop learning because there’s no end to God, but we do grow. We gain skill in love. We take on more of Christ’s way. And as that happens, we’re able to bring out of our lives a kind of craft — the steady work of love that comes from someone who has walked with the master for a long time. That's the kind of artisanship I have in mind.
Apprenticeship is how we start. Artisan work is what grows from it.