One morning a few weeks ago I decided to light a candle in my bedroom. It was so dark that as I held the match and the matchbox, I wondered, will I be able to see the wick? As soon as I struck the match against the box, I nearly laughed out loud. One match sheds a whole lot of light as it turns out. What was I worried about?

It’s an image and a thought I haven’t been able to shake: all that light from just one match.

I am struggling with overwhelming fear as I consider embarking on writing a novel. I desperately want to do it, but I mostly feel I am not up to the task. I love the idea, and I love what I know so far about my protagonist. But can I do her justice? And can I write a story someone would actually want to read? It feels unlikely.

I have started novels before, but I haven’t gotten far. Maybe they were meant to fail. Perhaps those ideas were simply not good enough. Or maybe I just didn’t try hard enough. Maybe I gave up for no reason other than my own insecurities, or even laziness.

The point is that I feel like I’m in the dark here. I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m not sure how to find my way. Yet I have this sense that if I approach it one day at a time, if I sit down in the darkness and strike the match, I’ll have enough light for that one day.

This is the quiet yet urgent voice I hear over and over, and I don’t think it’s just for me, or just about writing a novel: One match sheds a whole lot of light. If you find yourself stuck in your own dark days or caught up in someone else’s darkness, you already have what you need for the moment you’re in. Strike your match. It will be more than enough. YOU are more than enough.