I am worth 12 camels!

Have you ever thought about what you are worth? I attended the Carolinas Writers Conference this past week end and one of the author/speakers told of trying to describe to a native in New Guinea what he did for a living.

When translated, one book was worth two cows. When my husband and I traveled to Egypt, one of the vendors offered my husband 12 camels for me. Good thing the camel-man didn’t know that, according to Google, the human body is only worth about $5.00 for its elements. It was all in good fun, but nonetheless, it made me a bit nervous as I tried to imagine my husband buckling a dozen camels into their seats before the plane took off. God tells us that we are so valuable to Him that He knows how many hairs are on our heads.

If I had to explain to a space-alien what my writing is worth, what would I say? If I broke it down per book divided by the hours spent writing, the red would be so glaring the eyes would burn. So why do I write? I believe God gave each of us a creative outlet, a way to express our love for Him. If we had to keep all the emotion bottled up inside us, we would be like pressure cookers without that jiggle-valve on top, and we would eventually explode.

I can’t draw. My singing is mediocre at best. I am not a poet. But I can string together words and make a sentence that shares a meaning. I do it because God loves me, God gave me this gift, and if I don’t use it to glorify Him, the rocks wills shout out!

As I am crafting this blog, my inner voice is asking who cares? I may only be worth twelve camels, but God loves me enough to equip me with a pressure valve called writing. What has God given you as your pressure valve?

Some of you have amazing voices. I know this, I heard you. Some of you are brilliant at composing a photograph. There are those of you who exude such comfortable personalities that even the most hateful people feel loved.

The ability to develop friendships, to welcome others to your home, to nurture children: these are all God’s gifts. In this life, you may not receive any praise for what you do, but God gave you the gift for His glory. Keep on doing what you do so well. You will be blessed for it.

Regina