"I put off writing the first Left Behind book for a year because I got invited to assist Billy Graham in his memoirs, and had we known what we were putting off for a year, we might not have put it off"

Jerry B. Jenkins reflects on a pivotal decision in his career, revealing how the paths we choose, sometimes out of obligation, distraction, or even honor, can delay destinies we have no way of foreseeing. Here, Jenkins remembers postponing the commencement of the first Left Behind book for an entire year, due to the opportunity to collaborate with the esteemed evangelist, Billy Graham, on his memoirs. This wasn't just any project; assisting Graham was likely an exceptional honor that any writer in Christian circles would find difficult to decline. Jenkins highlights the weight of that decision, suggesting that if he and his collaborators had realized the enormous impact and cultural phenomenon the Left Behind series would become, they might have reconsidered the postponement.

Regret, however, is implied only in hindsight and is tinged with humility; no one could have anticipated the future. The comment nods to the unpredictable nature of creativity and success: monumental works and career-defining projects can be paused or delayed by choices that feel important in the moment but are dwarfed by the events yet to unfold. Jenkins’s words encapsulate the irony of success and the contingencies that shape it, unaware, he delayed a series that would transform Christian fiction and sell tens of millions of copies.

His reflection also touches on the inevitability of unknowingness in life and career. Everyone faces choices that, in the moment, seem reasonable or even unremarkable. Only with retrospect do they pinpoint those choices as profound. The narrative becomes not just Jenkins' personal anecdote, but a larger message about patience, faith, and destiny. Sometimes, opportunities are delayed so that they can emerge at just the right moment, even if the significance is understood only later. Jenkins’ words speak to the mystery of timing and how greatness often comes not from meticulous planning, but from the unpredictable intersections of duty, chance, and serendipity.