Article February 23, 2004 Issue

A scribe for God

By Dan Enemark

Everyone has task they dread. Until last November, my most dreaded task was writing term papers.

The week before Thanksgiving break, I had to write a paper for a class that covered 500 years of European history. I knew I'd need plenty of time for this, and I planned to begin writing two weeks before the deadline. But as it turned out, I didn't start the paper until a few days before it was due. As I began writing, I was filled with anxiety, certain that I wouldn't be able to complete the work on time. And worrying about meeting my deadline only distracted and frustrated me.

I decided to stop for a moment and identify the source of my anxiety. It was my fear of not having enough—not enough time, not enough good ideas, not enough preparation. I have learned that in over 100 different verses, the Bible says, "Fear not" or "Be not afraid." But my situation seemed like a real dead end, so I asked myself, "Why shouldn't I be afraid? I wondered what God would say about this fear. I decided He might say something like this: "I am infinite Mind. I provide every idea you need, and I am not limited by time or anything else."