A Talent to Write

The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied.

-- Jesus (Luke 19:16-17a)

What struck me tonight about this passage--and the other one like it in Matthew 25--is the proportion of the "money" that was earned in comparison to what was given. In this version, the master gives one mina, and the servant earns ten more. So, the master supplies only 9% of the final value. Now, a mina isn't a piddly amount; it's three months wages, a quarter of your annual income. There's no way any sort of investment could be made without that initial gift. But still, most of the end result, though accomplished through the master's gift, really comes down to the hard work of the servant earning it.

I came across a blog entry a while ago and saved it, mainly for these two quotes:

• The ability to write well is not a gift.
• Writing well is not a gift reserved for the few but a set of skills that can be learned by anyone.

I do happen to believe (based on the Scripture above) that the ability to write is a gift, and that certain people are specifically called by God to write. And yet, the call to invest that initial deposit is what produces the ability to write well. It is a skill that can be learned and improved through practice and study.

My role may not be to be the next Shakespeare (or Asimov, or even Ingermanson), but I am called to write. However much God has invested in me, I am responsible for turning it into much more, for His glory. I must accept that this writing is more than a hobby, it is a ministry as holy as missionary or preacher, for it is what He has purposed me to do.

What do you think about this? Do you feel that a calling has been placed on your life to write? What's your reaction to the one mina invested/ten minas earned parable?