Episode #35
Ep 35: Trusting God With the Gifts You Haven’t Fully Owned Yet with Chris Whittington (Proverbs 3:5–6)
What do you do when you know God has put something in front of you—and you’re still afraid to walk through the door? Chris Whittington knows something about that tension. Chris has spent decades as the owner of Whittington Steel in Texas while also continuing to write music, record, lead worship, and pursue a creative calling that began when he was young. His story doesn’t fit neatly into the idea that we discover one calling, choose one path, and leave everything else behind. It also isn’t a story of immediate obedience. Chris shares candidly that he told God “no” for about ten years when he sensed he was supposed to start his own business. He had a wife, children, and very practical reasons for questioning the risk. Eventually, the circumstances became clear enough that he stepped through the door, beginning Whittington Steel with a $5,000 loan from his in-laws. What he learned wasn’t that obedience guarantees the outcome we pictured. It was that God can be trusted with what happens after we obey. That theme runs through so much of our conversation. We talk about the gifts and desires God gives us, the experiences that can make trust difficult, forgiveness, our attempts to gather enough information to feel safe, and the difference between taking time to recover and remaining still when it’s time to move. And for those who wonder whether they’ve waited too long to use something God placed in them, Chris’s answer is wonderfully straightforward: get after it. In this episode, we talk about: Chris’s lifelong relationship with music and the influence of the Jesus Movement Building a life that held both business leadership and creative expression The ten years he spent telling God “no” before starting his own business Why walking through a door God opens still requires trust The difference between trusting God and trying to gather enough information to control an outcome How painful experiences with an earthly father can influence the way we relate to our heavenly Father Forgiveness as an ongoing process rather than a single emotional moment Work as part of our participation with God rather than something separate from our faith What Chris would tell someone in the second half of life who has left a creative desire or gift unexplored The difference between a restorative pause and remaining idle after it’s time to move Why obedience gives us opportunities to become better at recognizing God’s leading The role Scripture, Christian community, correction, and practice play in developing discernment One of my favorite threads in this conversation is the relationship between trust and information. I tell Chris about a small moment with my husband involving leftover bacon that exposed something much larger in me: I was asking question after question because underneath the questions was an assumption that I needed to make sure he had considered what mattered to me. Later, I realized I had been doing something similar with God. I'd been demanding more information as an asset to help me discern, when in reality I was trying collect enough information that I wouldn't need to simply trust God (or those He sent to love me!) This is a common theme for High Responsibility Humans because we are often very good at evaluating risk, anticipating problems, and taking care of other people. And while those abilities can serve us beautifully, they can also make it tempting to believe we should be able to understand the entire path before we take the next faithful step. Chris’s story gives us another possibility: use what God has given you, take the step available to you, stay close enough to Him to receive correction, and trust Him with what you cannot yet see. A question from this episode to consider this week: Is there a door you’ve spent so much time evaluating that God may simply be asking you to walk through it? CONNECT WITH CHRIS Chris Whittington is a business owner, musician, songwriter, and worship leader. He is the owner of Whittington Steel and has spent decades integrating his faith, leadership, work, and creative life. Chris’s music and other work: chriswhittington.com Whittington Steel: w hittingtonsteel.com Connect with Dr. Lee, TLC, & the High Responsibility Humans™ Community: Discover your Primary Motivational Gift: www.growinyourgifts.com Join Our High Responsibility Humans Community: https://regulatedroots.com/hrh Explore our Agency services: regulatedroots.com/agency Follow on TikTok: @leechelseacordell Connect on LinkedIn: Dr. Lee Cordell
