Five Things I've Learned About Faith By Writing Fiction with guest Janice Cantore

(special shout-out to Beth Erin who made this awesome banner)
Years ago, when I started writing fiction, besides writing good stories, I wanted to draw people to the message of the gospel, the Good News. I had an aunt who would read novels, but she would never pick up the Bible. I figured that there are a lot of people like my aunt, so I hoped the message in my novels would make such people think, would make them want to pick up a Bible and look inside. The stories were the vehicle to witness, to share the hope within.

I’ve been writing novels since 2006, and along the way writing to inspire others has inspired me. These are five things I’ve learned about faith by writing fiction. 
Faith can seem impossible. How can you believe in something or someone you can’t see? Several of my characters struggle with this question. The heavens are vast, and no one has ever seen God—how can He really be there? God is in the vastness of the universe as much as He is in a single blade of grass. “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28, NIV). Recognizing that the complexity of the world requires a Creator and not blind chance makes faith possible.  
Faith is hard. Once you take the step to say, yes, I believe, life often comes down like a ton of bricks. Another character question: How can He be a good God when there is so much suffering? God never promised a life of ease in this world. It’s fallen. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV). It’s hard to believe, to have faith, when you witness acts of evil or you suffer loss or great pain, but there’s really no other choice. Faith tells you that the evil has been overcome and good will be victorious in the end.  
Faith is easy. The joy that comes with embracing the Savior fills a person’s heart to overflowing. When one of my characters stops fighting and starts resting in the promises that he or she has come to believe in, then the burdens become the Lord’s, and yes, faith is easy. “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30, NIV). Knowing there is help, that you are not in this hard, harsh world alone, makes faith easy. 
Faith is essential. This is a fallen world, and a person wrapped up in it is easily given to despair. My main characters are all police officers. Police see the worst that humanity has to offer. It’s easy to begin to believe that everyone is wicked, evil, depraved. Faith is essential to change the focus of your mind: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8, ESV). Faith gives us the promise of a better world, a perfect world, in eternity.  
Faith is a shield. Nobody gets out of this world without being hurt, betrayed, run over . . . my characters have faced it all. They’ve also been in mortal peril and seen ones they love in life-threatening situations. Whatever we face, faith is a shield against the worst life can throw at us. Because faith tells us that God never lets us go, that we are always safe in His loving hand, no matter what. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV). Jesus died for us, and faith in His sacrifice is an impenetrable shield.   
 What about you? What have you learned about faith from writing (or reading) fiction?Which of Janice's points most resonated with you?


Join the conversation in the comments! Thanks to Janice Cantore and Tyndale House, one commenter (US only) will win a copy of Cold Aim!  Police Chief Tess O’Rourke’s small town is still reeling from a devastating fire when the FBI asks for help: Could she shelter a witness in a high-profile human trafficking case? Initially reluctant to put the townspeople of Rogue’s Hollow at risk, Tess is swayed after she sees Pastor Oliver Macpherson’s genuine conviction to rescue those in need, a trait in him she’s coming to love more each day.

Tess’s fledgling faith is tested when crews of workmen from out of town come in to assist with the fire cleanup and she worries that one of these strangers might shine a light on things best kept hidden. Neither she nor Oliver knows that Rogue’s Hollow is already home to a suspect from a twenty-five-year-old murder case . . . and someone is taking cold aim at those Tess is sworn to protect.
COLD AIM IS AVAILABLE NOW! 

   Janice Cantore is a retired Long Beach police officer who now writes suspense novels. Her twenty-two years of experience on the force lend authenticity to her stories. She has penned eleven romantic suspense novels: the Line of Duty series, the Cold Case Justice series, the Pacific Coast Justice series, Critical Pursuit, and Visible Threat. Crisis Shot and Lethal Target are the first two books in the Line of Duty series, which wraps up with Cold Aim (July 2019). 
 Visit Janice at her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.