You Can Do It!

By Beverly Hill McKinney

Opening the large cardboard box containing my new writing course, I pulled out a big blue binder filled with lessons for the coming two years. Excitement and apprehension filled me as I began to leaf through the lessons. Assignments were due every two weeks for the coming two years. As I reviewed the different topic headings, I was overwhelmed with what would be required to finish this course. The longer I looked over the materials, the more discouraged I became. I was about to put the binder back in the box and return it when my husband walked in the room. He saw my anxious expression and asked what was wrong. “I just can’t do this,” I said. “These assignments are just too hard. I have no experience in all these areas, especially screenwriting and journalism.”

My husband is a wise man and saw how frustrated I was. “How long do you have before you have to decide.” “I have sixty days if I want to take this course or not to get my money back.” “Well,” he said, “Just start from lesson one and see how it goes.” Philippians 4:13 immediately came to mind which states, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” I realized it said, “I can do everything.”

I noticed my assigned mentor was a former associate editor for a book publisher and knew the publishing and writing business well. I realized I could learn much from her.

I began lesson one and with great fear sent it off to my mentor. I received my review back a few days later and was thrilled to see that I had done well. Over the next two years, each week as I began my lesson, I would stop and say, “Okay Lord, you have to help me here. I have no idea what I will write.” Then I would begin to write and the words seemed to flow from my pen.

The Lord taught me many lessons over those two years. I began to look in the Bible for those who also had no confidence and questioned God. I thought of Moses, Gideon, Paul and Peter to name a few.

The Bible is filled with those who gained confidence to complete the task God had given them.

When I completed the writing course in twenty-two months instead of two years, I realized that it was only through my realizing that God had confidence in me to complete a task that He gave me to do. Ephesians 3:20 it states: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” When a task seems to overwhelm you and you lack the confidence or feel it is beyond your abilities, remember Ephesians 3:20. God assures us that He is able to give us more than we can imagine.

Beverly Hill McKinney writes from Rogue River, Oregon. bmckinnehill@yahoo.com