Growing up in the church, I’ve heard many times that faith is important in our walk as believers.

But what about our walk as writers?

I love writing. It all started a few years ago when I realized just how much I enjoy writing stories with deep themes and meanings.

The stories I started writing weren’t necessarily “Christian” stories, but they were more than mindless entertainment. I like stories that make people think—consider what they believe and why they believe it. Stories that (even if it wasn’t obvious) ultimately pointed to God, and how much we need him.

I fell in love with the art of storytelling, and since God gave me this passion, I decided it was definitely worth pursuing.

There was only one problem: the thought of sharing my writing with other people terrified me.

What if I was terrible at writing and didn’t know it? What if publishing a story would be the worst mistake I ever made? What if people hated my stories? What if they hated me?

I’d be much safer if I stopped writing and stuck to reading. In fact, I was tempted to do just that. But I felt like I had to write. With so many stories and ideas floating around in my head, I couldn’t just stop.

Since I couldn’t give up on writing, I tried getting rid of some of my fears and insecurities by learning, and trying to improve my writing. My journey to improve my writing eventually led me to The Company, but I didn’t plan on submitting an application.

The apprenticeship at The Company sounded amazing, but the more I thought about it, the more reasons I came up with to say no—not just to trade school, but to writing.

I decided that writing needed to be a hobby for me, and not a career. I decided I wasn’t good enough to be a “professional” writer, and I wouldn’t succeed even if I tried my best. But all the no’s I told myself turned into yes’s when everyone around me encouraged me to apply.

From there, I got accepted, and had to choose once and for all whether or not I wanted to start down the path of a professional writer.

My first inclination was to say no.

Thanks to the passion and ideas God gave me, I assumed that He wanted me to write—that He was calling me to write.

But what if I was wrong?

What if God didn’t want me to write? What if I misinterpreted the love I have for storytelling? What if God especially didn’t want me to move to Ohio and learn how to write professionally? What if I’d just be wasting time and money on something I’d never succeed at?

Looking back, it’s clear to me that God did want me to write, and He did want me to move to Ohio.

But what if I had let fear win? What if I refused to walk in faith?

I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today—only weeks away from releasing my first book.

I’ve seen God work in so many different ways, and over the last two years, my faith has improved just as drastically as my writing has.

There are days when I forget and the fear returns. When that happens, I have to make a choice.

Will I continue down the path I’m on and trust that God will continue accompanying me, or will I give into fear and step off the path?

God has gotten me this far, and I choose to trust him.

My faith didn’t make me a writer, but it’s kept me on that path.

As writers, we all face fear. We all face uncertainty. You are not alone.

The question is, when you encounter adversity, will you choose faith over fear in your own life?

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Prefer to listen? Grab the podcast episode with Thirzah here.

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Originally from Maryland, Thirzah is a graduate of The Company’s full-time apprenticeship program. Find her first book, The Librarian’s Ruse, on Amazon here.