If, for comfort or humility’s sake, you’ve ever withheld your creative skills from public knowledge in your ward, read this command from this week’s Exodus chapters in Come, Follow Me:
“And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the Lord hath commanded.” (Exodus 35:10, emphasis added)
This verse emerges amid the Lord’s instructions for the Israelite tabernacle, and the phrase “wise hearted” resurfaces a dozen more times throughout Exodus.
Clearly, the Lord values this trait and cherishes its effect on those who answer its call; “wiseheartedness” can change how you see yourself and your contributions to the world He’s created.
Who Are the “Wise Hearted”?
The term “wise hearted”, or chacham-lev (חכם–לב) in Hebrew, refers to those who are masters of a specialized craft, such as carpenters, glaziers, or weavers.
The Lord didn’t just want laborers; He wanted artisans. He knew of the hours and years it took certain men and women to refine their unique skills, and He wanted their specific contributions to beautify His house.
Our specialties may look different today than in Biblical times, but still: we share divine DNA with the Creator who expects us to create.
Answer the Lord’s call for willing, skilled hands, and I believe you’ll find new ways to truly worship Him. We each have light to share; here are three insights that might help you remove any of your own metaphorical bushels.
1. Creativity Is Transformative
The Lord’s repeated pairing of “wisdom” with “the heart” teaches us something about consecrated creativity. Beyond intellectual thinking, the phrase elevates feeling: Emotion and passion are just as valuable, if not essential, to His creative work among us.
Creating beautiful things takes time—there are no shortcuts. Perhaps that’s why the process can be so transformative. In the time it takes to produce a masterpiece, the creation itself works on the creator.
In developing any skill or talent, you become more patient, more appreciative of beauty, and more open to new truths.
→ What skill or craft, if you truly dedicated yourself to creating it, could enhance your gospel perspective?
2. Wise Hearts Credit the Creator
I think we often misinterpret the command to be humble as a command to be discreet about our talents. But unused expertise edifies no one. Yes, we should acknowledge the true Source of all good gifts, but we should also diligently work to hone our skills with the intention to use them.
The wise-hearted understand the divine partnership that is alive in their creative efforts. As the Lord promised, “in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom.”
Jesus Christ compounds our earnest offerings with further gifts and greater capacity.
→ Knowing it could be magnified tenfold, what creative passion would you give to the Lord?
3. Wise-heartedness Is Cultivated
The wise-hearted not only refine their creative skills but also worship in creative ways. As we learn in Exodus, every one whose heart inspired them came to beautify the Israelite tabernacle.
More than innate skill, wise-heartedness is about cultivating heartfelt conviction. New strengths can surface as we search for creative ways to fill a need or a calling.
Our willingness to create beautiful things becomes a spade, unearthing treasured abilities and renewed gospel passion.
→ When you truly feel spiritual conviction, what does your heart inspire you to do or create?
Why Your Artistry Matters
At the core of a wise heart is a willing heart. That’s all the Master teacher needs to begin. He adores our creativity, especially as it moves us to worship, producing one-of-a-kind results in His intentionally diverse kingdom.
I’ve seen wise-heartedness look like a beautifully organized ward party. An individually centered temple prep session. A devoted wrangling of restless children in a church pew.
The Lord's kingdom cannot be built with assembly-line detachment. The very nature of it requires specialized, personalized contributions. Every single congregation in this worldwide Church is different, with diverse cultures, sociopolitical climates, and needs.
Wise hearts naturally weave together to produce what is most needed around them. I truly believe that the members of any given congregation are those best suited to creatively meet the needs of their specific congregation. Support each other, and divine momentum grows.
The Israelites were so committed to building their new tabernacle that the priests were recorded to have been literally overwhelmed with generous contributions. We live in a similarly thrilling era, with sanctuaries of worship being erected and edified by the wise-hearted the world over.
I imagine the joy of it all—this hands-on creative work of the Lord—resonates with the paint-stained, instrument-calloused hands of those who eagerly beckon others into the workshop: Come, make beautiful things with us!
Next time you’re hesitant to share your talents or accept a calling, remember how deeply the Lord values your gifts. He knows what you can do. He wants your specific fingerprints on your community. There are things we can only learn through creating—creating with the intent to give—and our hearts grow all the wiser for it.
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