Have you ever uncovered a gift weeks after Christmas or a birthday that was hidden away from your children deep in your closet so they wouldn’t find it…but you didn’t either?

I hate when that happens. And yet I let it happen last year. Not with a physical gift, but with a gift of mine that I hadn’t drawn on or cultivated since my teen years.

When I was writing Shrapnel there was a scene where I included song lyrics. The scene was very pivotal for the character, Scott, and for as long as I had imagined this scene, the song “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth were the lyrics that rang through my head. In fact that song was included in the playlist that I used when writing any of the emotionally charged scenes with Scott.

Days before I was sending the book for publication, I had a hollow feeling, a knowing really, that I needed to remove the song lyrics and write my own. I sat over my kitchen counter panicking. I hadn’t written songs or poetry since I was 19 (we’ll just call that over a decade ago). Did I even have that ability in me anymore? Would it be any good?

So I pulled out my old poem books, flipped through a couple, tossed them aside, then sat with a blank notebook of paper and started doodling. A couple words spurted out but not enough. Then more came. And more. Until I had exactly what I needed…or more like what my character, Scott, needed.

I remember walking to my bedroom where my husband was sitting, with a smirk turning up my lips, handing him the paper.

“It’s good.” He said.

“I think it is.” I said. “I did it.”

Even after writing an entire book, I was so flummoxed at this little thing, the few lines I had scribbled down in about fifteen minutes. It was a creative muscle I hadn’t used for so long but when I stretched it out, every tendon knew it’s place and did it’s job.

What gift have you been hiding away in the back of your own closet? Because you aren’t sure if it works anymore or where you would use it? Let me encourage you, when you pull it out, dust it off, hold it up to the light, it will still shine. You’ll surprise yourself. You’ll see opportunities to be able to utilize that gift once you let it see the light.

A couple lines of a poem doesn’t seem like a useful gift beyond that one moment. But it opened me up to begin writing poetry again, and sharing it with the world. I have found a piece of myself that walked me through some hard moments of growing up, that gave me peace in storms and happiness in mourning. Poetry allowed me to express emotions in a way that I never would have otherwise. And now it does again. Maybe one day I’ll even publish that book of poetry I talked about as a teen.

Draw on that gift God gave you. Are you willing to imagine the possibilities? Maybe it could turn into a new stream of income. Maybe it will give you that extra piece of sanity to get though a long week. Maybe it will change someone’s life, or yours. Don’t limit what God can do through something he has placed inside you.

I’m cheering you on!

*Haven’t read my novel, Shrapnel, yet? Click HERE to purchase a copy on Kindle or Paperback.

*Want to check it out first? Snag a free sample of Shrapnel by clicking HERE.

*To read my poetry, you can follow me on Instagram or Facebook where I post it regularly. Or scroll to the bottom of this page to find a gallery of my poetry images.