Talent - if you've got one, flaunt it.

“See you later!”

This terribly cheesy photo is courtesy of 

laymansbooks.com

“Ta-ra a bit!” (Memories of my times as a Midlands-dweller.)

“Bye, then!”

We say goodbye to each other in any one of a hundred ways. Inconsequential, for the most part, just something to occupy our mouths as our legs walk away. Commonly, an add-on phrase makes its appearance: “Take care!”

Now, I’m not going to suggest that this is inappropriate. After all, we would hardly wish our coffee companion/husband/Avon lady a dreadful journey home. But I had a friend who wished he was dispensed with under this banner: “Take a risk!” At first, I wasn’t sure I understood him, but after his careful explanation I found I agreed with him.

As a brief digression, but within the theme as all good digressions are, I had a wild, risky summer the year I found myself single after 21 years of marriage. I would add the corollary that I mean “risky” in a middle-aged-cardigan-wearing-woman kind of way. For example, I went go-karting for the first time, despite being a trustee of a local Christian centre that had the activity high on its list of draws. I knew I was approaching it from the wrong perspective. All I could think about as I minced around the track was how much more comfortable it would be in my car. That same month, at Legoland with my boys, I went on a roller-coaster for the first time. As we waited for the not inconsiderable time in the queue, I was texting everyone I knew to pray and, well, basically, I was saying goodbye.  I also very nearly got my belly-button pierced, dangerously nearly. It was only the thought that, in order to show it off, I would have to go around in crop tops and low-slung jeans forevermore that stopped me. A cold midriff in a Norfolk Autumn wouldn’t do at all.

Back to my friend. He looked at the parable of the talents as Jesus saying, “Stop playing life so safe. Don’t metaphorically bury the important, potentially game-changing stuff in the back garden. Take a risk with it. If it doesn’t work out then so what? At least you’ve tried.” Ring any bells, dear writerly companions? You look around you at people who were further ahead in the queue for writing talent than you were. You look at the sentence you wrote yesterday – your one, hard-fought-over sentence – and hide it in the secret place where no one is likely to find it. (A kitchen drawer works well, in my experience…)

Take that risk! Write that sentence out again and send it to someone who might really need to hear it. You may not achieve the dizzy heights that others around you are reaching. You may have crippled yourself with self-doubt. But every tiny step in the right direction will be cheered on by Jesus Himself. In fact, He invented the phrase, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” just for you.

Jane Clamp is Groups' Coordinator for ACW.
Her first book, Too Soon, is about to be published by SPCK on the 16th August and can be pre-ordered at www.spck.org.uk/too-soon