When I was a little girl I loved the concept of buried treasure. I was sure there was treasure buried all over our property. Lucky for me, an old owner had buried all their family garbage and my brother and I spent a lot of time digging up old pieces of dishes and other questionable items, counting them as valuable as gold.

In the parable of the talents, the landowner gives money to three servants and asks them to spend it, invest it, wisely while he’s gone. You know the story, two of the men invest and make a profit. The third is afraid of losing it all (and afraid of the owner as well).  He buries the money to  be certain he’ll have something to show the owner upon his return. The owner wasn’t pleased.

I’m a writer. God has given me several gifts and abilities, and one of them is using words. I have the choice of being an investor or behaving like the third man and playing it safe. I often experience fear that “freezes” me for a while until I figure out the next step I’m supposed to take on my writing journey. I’ve promised to just take the next step. That isn’t so scary. One foot and then the next.

I’m in a scary place right now with the editing of my novel. Yikes. I know I have a choice; I can invest my time and energy or I can be buried alive. Well, when I say it like that the choice is clear: I’ll move my feet.

Any of you ever experience burying your gifts? Saving them until a later time when you’re more mature, more ready? I think the owner has a message for you.