A Herd of Camels in the Back Garden

Now here’s a thing. I’ve been a Christian for nearly thirty years and I still wobble, worry and don’t lean enough on God for my every needs. In fact, worse than that, I rely on my own understanding, which on a good day is all right, but on less good days could be compared to a handbrake on a canoe, or indeed an ashtray on a motorbike. Useless, in other words. 

As you know, I took the leap and became a full-time writer on 1st January this year. This coincided with my elderly parents needing a lot more care and support, something which ate into my writing time and pushed all my buttons. As writers, you’ll detect a whole other story behind those words, but it’s not one I’m telling today. 

I sat in my beautiful Palace of Creativity resenting every phone call, every email, every new task put upon me. I had (still have) a novel to write, freelance commissions to execute. I lay awake at night worrying. What if I couldn’t make it work? What if the words didn’t flow? What if it was all a gigantic mistake? 

Dear friends rallied round. I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers (and I do so love getting flowers), an orchid and a large box of assorted brownies. They made me feel so much better. I had suspected that the many obstacles being thrown in my path might be coming from the enemy and so it proved. Prayer, lots and lots of prayer, was prayed over this situation and from it came so many amazing things. 

One of the prayer warriors sent me a text I wasn’t familiar with. It’s Isaiah 60:1-6. One line leapt out at me and I was simultaneously comforted and inspired. “There’s my MTW blog for February!” I cried, and indeed, here it is. 

The Glory of Zion

60 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
    and your daughters are carried on the hip.
Then you will look and be radiant,
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
Herds of camels will cover your land.
And all from Sheba will come,
    bearing gold and incense
    and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
 

The bit that really struck me was the herds of camels covering my land. Picture the scene. A sleepy Mr and Mrs Leigh are wandering around the kitchen in the morning, making tea, rousing children, feeding the cat. They have often talked about success and what that might look like. Mr Leigh frequently avers that the BBC need to serialise Isabella immediately (a six-part series on BBC1 on Sundays) while Mrs Leigh fantasises about being rung up by Richard and Judy, or the Radio Two Book Club or someone like that and becoming an Actual Thing. 

Him: “Ruth, the back garden’s covered in camels.”

Me: “Aha! My heart is throbbing and swelling with joy! Some people from Sheba should be pulling on to the drive any minute bearing gold and incense.”

Him: “Should I make a pot, then?” 

I’m being silly. Glory in 2022 probably doesn’t involve herds of camels in Suffolk. And the scripture is not about getting fat contracts, endless royalties and becoming a household name. Drooping rather miserably over my laptop last week, however, the words seemed to shimmer and hang in the damp January air, promising something wonderful, something unknown. Me being me, I seized upon the bit about the camels which made me smile, but of course that’s not really what it’s about. 

I’m now in that interesting place we sometimes find ourselves where I’ve done what God suggested, am praying daily about it, being covered in protective prayer and waiting on Him. And of course I am full of radiant joy and all the worry has been chased away (OK, it hasn’t). It’s not a comfortable place to be in, but when was following Jesus ever about comfort. 

As you read this, then, maybe have a think about what your herds of camels might look like. I’m keeping a weather eye out for mine.

Images by Pixabay

Ruth is a novelist and freelance writer. She is married with three children, one husband, assorted poultry and a kitten. She is the author of “The Diary of Isabella M Smugge”, “The Trials of Isabella M Smugge” and is currently writing “The Continued Times of Isabella M Smugge”. She writes for a number of small businesses and charities, reviews books for Reading Between the Lines and blogs at ruthleighwrites.co.uk. Ruth has abnormally narrow sinuses and a morbid fear of raw tomatoes, but has decided not to let this get in the way of a meaningful life. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok at @ruthleighwrites and at her website, www.ruthleighwrites.co.uk.

 

 

Comments

  1. Hairy, smelly and bad tempered! But as symbols...

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    1. You've got to love a hairy, smelly, bad tempered symbol. And don't they spit too?

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  2. Aw, I love it! You sum up our daily lives so wonderfully full of humour. Keep going!

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  3. I don't know what my camels are but I'll get the hump if they don't arrive.

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  4. Fabulous post! I love that passage from Isaiah, so full of hope and promise. The thing about camels is that you would really notice them arriving. Sometimes I think we can miss our camels if we don't look out for them. You are a shining one, Ruth, so may your camels be many and varied ... and not scare your chickens off...

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    1. Thank you, Joy. It's a great passage and I'm hanging on to it and waiting for the camels. The chickens have lived with us for so long that I think they're used to all sorts of mad goings on!

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  5. Oh Ruth, you've done it again! Made me laugh and cry. I really needed this, this morning. Love that I wait for my herd of camels. Camels make me smile! Thank you. Xxx

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  6. That is such an encouragement, Nikki! Thank you. I'm so glad you got what you needed. Reminds me yet again that God's in charge xxx

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  7. I really need to trust God more, if my camels arrive I imagine the poo all over the garden, but then I thought it might be good for the veg patch.

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    1. I bet camel poo is full of nutrients. You could nourish your veg then sell some of the poo on and add value. You never know where God's taking you

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  8. We get badgers and rabbits in our garden - do they count? Great post!

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    1. Definitely! Not as smelly or bad tempered as camels and they don't take up us much room either. Thank you!

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  9. Oh brilliant post Ruth as ever! I love your camels analogy. I will look out for my herd 🤣Such an encouragement. Thank you!

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    1. You're so kind, Liz. I had never really read that passage, or if I had, had skipped the camels until my friend gave it to me. I wonder if it is a herd, or maybe they have their own collective description. A grump? A hump? I must find out.

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  10. When was following Jesus ever easy? No truer words written. What a great post. Thanks for sharing with such vulnerability and honesty. It’s great you have such a supportive network and I love Isaiah 60…. What always gets me is the direction ARISE!
    Enjoyed this. Thanks. Amanda B

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    1. Thanks Amanda - no point in pretending! I love it when people share their vulnerability and I think it helps us grow as writers. I AROSE better than usual this morning - managed my Bible reading, cleaned out the cat, fed her, put a wash on and got the children out of the house on time. It was a one off, but felt good. Maybe I need to repeat this passage of scripture to myself every morning

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  11. I love camels - but I'd never noticed that line before! Thank you, Ruth. When I lived in Nigeria I took more pics of camels than anything else and now have a boxload of slides of camels coming over sand dunes, camels lined up like cars in a carpark... There was a camel beside the M5 in Somerset (to whom I wrote a poem) but, as you say, we don't have a lot of them in Suffolk. I'll keep an eye out and if I see a herd, point them in your direction!

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    1. Lovely! Isn't there a camel park there? I seem to remember that from when I lived in Devon. Thank you! Please do. I suspect they would eschew the A12 and come up the lane

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  12. This is wonderful - funny, honest, encouraging - thank you!

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  13. Could I ask for more birds in my garden instead of camels, please? And less visiting cats, because they're the culprits behind the dead birds we find every spring. Or at least bells around the visiting cats' furry necks? PS Am currently reading The Diary of Isabella M Smugge, and have difficulty tearing myself away from it. It would definitely make an excellent 6 part series on BBC TV.

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  14. I think you could. A flock of doves, for example, would cause less damage than the camels. Oh good! Very happy to hear this.

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  15. Hey Ruth, just going through your short bio shows you live a very busy life! It can be daunting to have a pile of to-do tasks all vying for your attention, including reviewing Sophia's 'Stories from the heart'! Well,as you know, our God's ways are different from ours, including His time schedule. Continue to dream and fantasize that those camels will bring your gold and frankincense and the BBC 1 and that phone call... Believe. Ask. Have faith and it will come to pass. Lovely post. Blessings

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  16. Hey Sophia, literally, as we speak, I am doing just that! Through God's grace, I've managed to write a couple of things that I had to do today and am now reviewing your book! Far too much to do and my apologies for that. I will keep dreaming and believing - thank you.

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  17. Such a fabulous post! Love the camels but this part also really touched me: 'Drooping rather miserably over my laptop last week, however, the words seemed to shimmer and hang in the damp January air, promising something wonderful, something unknown.' Isn't it wonderful when that happens? When God touches us with something like that and it changes something deep inside. Wonderfully funny and inspiriting. Thank you x

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  18. Oh wow, thanks Deborah! I need to keep reminding myself of this and holding on to the scripture on those damp, miserable days x

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  19. I think camels may have a bit of difficulty getting into our back garden - there are too many narrow steps to negotiate, and our dog might have something to say about it. I have read this scripture many times, but by reading it as part of your post, it definitely spoke to me in the moment in a fresh way. Thank you for your wonderful humour and honesty.

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  20. I think for you, smaller mammals might do the trick, Paula. Shrews, maybe, or a clutch of hedgehogs. I'm so glad my interpretation of it was helpful for you - it's made me look at the scripture in a different way too

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  21. Thank you, Ruth. Personally I'm still in verses 1 and 2, but you made me smile.

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    1. Good to hear Dawn! I aim to amuse wherever possible

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