we don’t often think of ourselves like this

as light bearers

we are the doers

the visionaries

the gate-keepers

the decision-makers

what if I said

that’s the easy part

the harder work

the real work

is bringing light to the dark places

compassion to pain

empathy to conflict

belief to self-doubt

transparency to fear

vulnerability to anger

calm to chaos

presence to isolation

understanding to confusion

encouragement to failure

many leaders only skim the surface

covering up with platitudes

pretending not to know

or believing it won’t matter

because if this fails

it’s not for lack of leadership

and besides

we’re too busy

the light bearer intentionally seeks the dark places

where the real stories unfold

and the most difficult obstacles are hidden

so that we can find our way

and be the light for others