Have you ever been inspired by someone?

If I had to guess, I would say the answer is yes. Because someone has accomplished something you want to do, or wish you could do.

Late last year, I met an author named Ava Murbarger, and it didn’t take me long to realize a few things about her.

1. She has started publishing a series called The Orythian Journeys.

As an aspiring author, it was really cool to meet someone who has published their story, putting it out there for the world to see. 

So, naturally, when I got her debut novel, Healer, for Christmas, I immediately read it. And I was not disappointed. As soon as I began, I could tell she had vastly more skill with the pen than I do, but rather than be discouraged, I was excited. 

It made me want to work on my writing and improve until I could create worlds just as vivid and well-imagined as hers. And she’s only getting started. The second book in her series, Outlaw, comes out this spring, and I’m itching to get a hold of it. 

2. She shares the same mission as me: She aims to produce good, clean, Christian sci-fi and fantasy. She wants her writing to be a light in the dark. 

This was super exciting to me. I’ve looked for good, Christian fantasy and sci-fi and been disappointed a number of times, which is what set me on this mission. 

To find someone who shares my mission of spreading God’s Light and strengthening those who already know Him was wonderful. To see others out in the world who want to make a difference for Christ. 

It was inspiring to see someone holding up the light they had been given and sharing it with the world. 

And that’s just what we all should be doing. It may look different for different people, but we are all to be little lights in the dark. I with my stories, another with their baked goods, others with their day jobs, and still others with small acts of kindness. We all have a part to play, and that little mission is very tangible.

3. She’s my own age. 

I was awed to find this out. I only began writing seriously last year, but to see that someone just like me had made it out there—had put in the work and seen it pay off—was amazing. 

I’ve always known it was possible for younger people to do great things (just read the beginning of Jeremiah, or Jesus’ words about children), but seeing it was another matter entirely. 

Sometimes it feels like we have something important to offer the world, but other times we get caught up in the simple fact that we have far less experience than the vast majority of people. 

Maybe you’ve seen others accomplishing their dreams and wondered if you’re the odd one out. If God even wants you to do what you’re passionate about.

And I won’t lie. Maybe He doesn’t. But then again, maybe He does, and you’re just not putting in the work.

So pray about it. And if He leads you to do it, don’t make excuses.

Don’t tell yourself that you “don’t have time”. I’m a junior with six full-time classes, a month-long ACT course starting next month, theatre coming up, and loads of homework already. But when the rest of my classes start, I can guarantee you, I will still find time to write. If God wants you doing something, there’s a way to do it. Cut out social media. Get up a little earlier. Research in the car. Delete a few games.

It isn’t about what you start with. It’s about what you put into it. If you put ten minutes of work into your dream and decide you can’t do it, then of course you won’t. But if you put in the work day after day (even in tiny increments), then guess what? You’ll make progress.

So get out there. Research if you don’t know where to start. You have a world of information at your fingertips. 

I’m positive that Ava wasn’t born knowing the ins and outs of the publishing industry. But she put in the time and effort to create something beautiful and actually get it into the world. 

I’m sure there were days when her dream felt out of reach, but she didn’t give up. By the grace of God, she pushed forward, doing what she knew He wanted. 

God has given you gifts for a reason (even if you don’t know what they are yet). Not so you can make a name for yourself, but so that you can spread His name. Just like Ava. 

So get going. You don’t even need to look far into the future. Just look at which direction God is pointing you, and take it one step at a time. 

Soli Deo Gloria. To the glory of God alone.