The Missional Agent Memo #25 - You'll Always Have Enough Light

Eight years ago Chris walked away from a church job with no plan, no net, and no idea what came next. In this episode he shares what that season taught him about trust, leadership, and why you'll never have more than enough light for the next step — and why that's okay. Visit jchrisbryant.com to connect.

Transcript

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Issue number 25 of the missional agent memo. You'll always have enough light. Eight years ago, I walked away from my job at the church I worked at without anything lined up. No job, no plan, no net. I was terrified I couldn't provide for my family. I was scared about what people would think of me. But if I'm honest, there was something deeper than that. I wondered if I was walking away from my faith. Like maybe the two had gotten so tangled together I couldn't tell them apart anymore. What if I crash and burn? What does this do to my kids? What if this ruins my marriage? What if this ruins my faith? What if? Fill in the blank. I had never felt more in the dark. But I knew one thing. If I was going to get out of the place I found myself, I had to move. I had to take a step, even when I couldn't see where I was stepping. My counselor told me something I've never forgotten. Chris, you're on a journey of trust. Not because trust is a feel-good idea, but because you can't know all the steps. You're not supposed to. All you can ever really know is the next one. Author Roy Williams said it this way recently. You will never have enough light to know more than the next step. Read that again. You will never have enough light to know more than the next step. The psalmist wrote it long before that. Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Not a floodlight, a lamp, just enough to see the ground right in front of you. Even the person who knows God, who's got the whole world in his hands, even he only gets enough light for the next step. Faith doesn't give you the full map. It gives you what you need to keep moving. That's true for your life, and it's true for your business. You know where you're going, hopefully. You probably have a plan. Good, you should. But even with the best plan, you're still walking into the dark. You left the safety of where you were. You stepped toward where you want to be. And no matter how far down the road you get, you only have enough light for the next step. That's not a flaw in the journey. That's the nature of it. Eight years later, I can tell you that step was the hardest but best step I've ever taken in my life. I don't think it was because I made the right choice, but because I made a choice that required me to let go of control and simply trust myself, my God, my people. It hasn't been a perfect journey by any means, and I've messed up more than I care to admit. But it's been exactly what I've needed to continue to become the man I was created to be, and I'm still on that journey. I want the same for you. So let me ask you two questions. Where are you going? And what's the next step you need to take? Not the second or third, just the next one. You have enough light for the next step. Take it. The one after that will appear. In your corner, Chris. PS. If you're in the dark right now and you need someone with a flashlight, hit reply or shoot me a message. Let's connect. I'd love to help you get clear about that next step.