Oil in My Lamp

By Cindy R. Williams

Last Christmas I bought terra cotta colored molding clay from a hobby store, the kind you have to bake. My oldest daughter and her husband helped me craft small lamps reminiscent of the lamps used in Jerusalem some 2000 years ago. Christmas Eve, we gave a handmade lamp to each family member along with the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Each child got something different out of the gift. The pyromaniacs loved to put oil from our outside torches in them and burn them, telling us they were seeing what it was really like back then. (Sorry kids, we weren't born yesterday.) One child used it as a little flower vase, another set it on her shelf where it sits today, covered in dust. Two of the lamps remain on the table in the front room in what we hope is a constant reminder that we must always be prepared.

Always be prepared is an important principle in writing. If we study our craft, attend writers conferences and workshops, take classes, participate in writers groups, and write, write, write, we shall be prepared. Don't forget the all important element of prayer for guidance in our writing. Our lamps will be full and ready and we will shine as we face all that we must do to reach our personal writing goals.

If we are prepared, we shall not fear.