Valuing your gifts

 Sometimes it might seem as though the things that you do are just that, "things that you do." And yet, to others, your gift brings them joy, insight or much needed inspiration. There have been so many times when I have witnessed someone doing something so amazing that they in fact undervalue. I have listened to writers with deep sensitivity and eloquence belittle their own writing as something that doesn't seem "enough"; I have listened to music that made my heart delight and witnessed the singer/musician doubt their own right to give voice to such beauty. I have observed so many truly talented people question themselves to the point of withdrawal from creative endeavors, and wondered, "How can we keep going when the very act of being creative makes us question our worthiness to share?" 

I think there is a deep paradox between being a talented, sensitive person and stepping into the shared arena. Many creative gifts are held in quiet, deep places and birthed in privacy. The need to be creative can be a deeply personal response to life's challenges and the road to sharing may seem confusing indeed. And yet there is a transformative blessing that occurs when we are willing to take what was born of our own personal need and allow it to grow into a gift that can be shared with others. 

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