Lord, Keep Me From Scribbling | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Lord, Keep Me From Scribbling | Previous Challenge Entry
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03/04/06
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Lord, Keep Me From Scribbling!

“For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.” (Philippians 4:13/NLT).

That verse was the response Myra felt all the way down to the very core of her soul when she saw the word “Enter” as the topic for the faithwriters.com weekly writing challenge. The weekend passed and she’d given up on finishing a submission for the “Help” topic the week before.

“I CAN enter this challenge but… WILL I?”

Monday is here, along with a fresh topic to consider, Myra thought. Although there’s a whole week before the web site’s writing deadline, she has 24 hours to put together one page of copy for Coach. Although she has more than a decade of journalism experience under her writer’s belt, Myra hasn’t written anything she intended to publish in nearly six years. The clock on her screen reminded her that only 30 minutes had passed when she stopped to check her word count for the third time… Again, the 750-word maximum limit seemed far away when she saw the 183 that flashed back at her. It just didn’t seem realistic. But then again, Myra remembered that she was more accustomed to writing in a preset column format.

“I want to be a scribe for Jesus,” she reminded herself as she sat down at her computer this morning. Avoiding public scrutiny for six years had become a major writer’s block for her. There’s more to writing now that Myra opened the door to her heart when Jesus knocked on it five years ago. The last piece she wrote for a newspaper was a resignation announcement, saying she was “answering a higher calling,” when she stepped down as Editor of a secular community weekly.

For the past couple of years, she has heard the Lord calling her to use the writing gift for Him. She has struggled to define the calling rather than taking action. Myra admits that she’s had romantic visions of tireless scribes writing with quills (feathers) that yielded script like the fountain pens she’d been fond of since in her youth.

To Myra, being a scribe was more than a lofty title for writer. Knowing there are published story clippings in her files that undoubtedly show God’s work, she’s hesitated to share them with believers.

“I wrote those stories before I became a Christian, how can they help my credibility now?” she argued with Coach.

“There were times back then when you knew you were being a reporter for God,” Coach countered. “You’ve told me that you felt scared when you found yourself watching Him work in the lives of people you were writing about.”

Sometimes scribes were also prophets, but many other scribes were simply writing down what was dictated to them or making copies. Although she’s aware of modern definitions of the word scribe, Myra prefers the Word’s references to scribes in Bible times.

“I’d like to scribe, not write. I need to rededicate my gifts to God and dedicate my time and energy to writing down what God wants recorded and archived,” she told Coach.

“I feel like all I’ve been doing is scribbling,” Myra thought distractedly to herself when 538 popped out as a word count for 41 minutes work. Getting up from her desk, initially thinking she’d get another cup of coffee, she found herself at the dictionary. When she rechecked the dictionary’s definitions for “scribe,” she was surprised to find that “scribble” came before “scribe.” She’s never noticed that before. Drinking a protein shake to skip lunch, the feather collection on her desk beckoned her back to the computer.

610.

Myra contemplated the facts. She had far exceeded the 150-word MINIMUM word count for entering the writing challenge and considered stopping. Then she felt Jesus’ call from her journal entries that morning. “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Mark 6:50/NIV)

“You CAN do this, Myra. Enter. Enter MY world of scribing; forget what you know about WRITING. Just tell people what I want them to know,” He seemed to be reminding her.

“People matter to God…” Myra whispered. “Scribing means letting God use me to report His work, showing people how much they matter to Him.”

709 and time to go to the gym.

“I know Philippians 4:13,” Myra said to herself. “I CAN scribe but… WILL I?”

YES, YOU WILL.

734.

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