Yesterday, I decided to take matters into my own hands. With my own financial “cushion” dwindling as I prepare to leave for World Race—I believed I could change that. I was going to apply for a job that would help make my own ends meet. God had His own plan—and He made it so very clear that HIS is the only one that matters.
God’s divine intervention took center stage in a way that only He is capable of doing. Immediately following my failed plan, a friend sent me this quote,
“If we want to hear from the Lord, we must confess that sometimes we walk right past the Lord’s instruction and set ourselves up to miss His direction. If we want His direction for our decisions, the great cravings of our souls must not only be the big moments of assignment. They must also be the seemingly small instructions in the most ordinary of moments when God points His Spirit finger, saying Go there. In doing that, we are companions of God with eyes and ears more open, more able, more in tune with Him.”
God picked me up off the comfortable path I had paved for myself and drop-kicked me into the mud. And the further I strayed from my own path, the more clearly I could see the beauty he was creating. I’m beginning to see His perfect will for my life unfold all around me.
This is a family love story pulsing with the very best kind of life. We live in a world that values romantic love and to a certain extent familial love, but we have very few stories of sisterhood like this one: a story about lifelong friends who, when life became challenging, didn’t back away, but instead became more committed to one another, more connected, more willing to sacrifice. This is an important, beautiful, and inspiring story.
After the crazy day I had yesterday—the Lord literally told me to call a woman I go to church with. So late last night, that’s exactly what I did. She didn’t answer. So I began believing the lie that I had misheard Him. Thus, catapulting me into some much needed FaceTime with my pillow.
At 6AM, I received a call from that wonderful woman. I answered. I felt like sticking my fingers in my ears and singing, La, la, la, la, la… I’m not listening to You, God! But the stirring in my soul wouldn’t stop. She started our conversation the only way she knows how: boisterous. She is a friend who makes the quiet places not so quiet and brings joy to the mundane. I’ve witnessed this woman prophecy to other woman and she’s spoken into my life countless times. I shared with her how God prompted me to call her last night and I wasn’t sure why that was. I was simply hoping the Lord had a specific Word for me, and I would only hear it from her.
So this woman asked me to just start by telling her about my day yesterday. Without even getting two sentences in, I was interrupted.
“Do you like candy?” she said.
“Excuse me, who doesn’t like candy? Of course I do,” I replied.
“Oh ok, yes. Do continue,” she went on.
So without hesitation, I continued on with my story. I was interrupted for the second time. “How do you feel about sharing candy?” she impeded.
Now, I was just mad, “What does that have to do with God?! Stop that!”
This woman quieted my soul quickly, and informed me that without a doubt what she heard was from God. She said, “Let’s just back up and erase everything I just said. And let me put it as simply as this…I believe what God wanted me to tell you is, ‘sharing candy.’ Does this mean anything to you?”
I just laughed. And then, I felt a shift in my psyche and my soul began to fill up as I thought about what she just said to me. I knew exactly what it meant. ‘Sharing candy’ struck a chord that ignited those Holy Spirit goosebumps.
Pay attention, this is the kind of story that Jesus would have told his friends.
I told this woman about two girls I will be traveling with on World Race. Two sisters in Christ, whose stories have now woven into my own with intricate detail. Megan Small and Nichol Crose. Both of these women have mothers who are battling cancer.
Their mother’s names are: Sharon and Candy.
As I sat on the phone in complete awe of what the Lord had just done I was reminded of a time in April. Back when I took a deep breath at work and told God I didn’t want the old kind of normal. That, I needed to be undone. I didn’t need life to be better; I needed it to be radically different. And friends, it’s hard to trust the intimate details of our lives to a God we don’t know intimately.
This woman and I unpacked this spoken Word from the Lord. She said that we need to do something, that this can’t go untold. So there, on the phone, we decided we needed to ‘share candy’ with other women, with other sisters in Christ. We made a plan to gather this evening, share this story, and pray over these two women: Sharon and Candy.
Immediately I reached out to Megan and Nichol.
I told them that I feel like ‘sharing candy’ is something that is meant to be shared with a large audience. And with their blessing, I’m sharing this story; their story.
Through their courage, grace, and dignity, Megan and Nichol remind us that we are stronger together than separate. This is a powerful story of friendship and faith, defining what it means to be a part of a community. The love that is so evident in their story is a brilliant reminder of how we should engage with one another, a reminder of what the church is meant to be.
What I did not know is that ease and normalcy and niceness are not as important to Jesus as obedience, perseverance, and sacrifice. And if it weren’t for the latter, I would have never applied for World Race, I would have never met them, and I would not have had the privilege of ‘sharing candy.’
What if we’re called to admit our weakness and declare that only God’s strength is sufficient? I truly believe this kind of healing is going to bring us into one of our richest seasons.
Our entire World Race squad is taking time this evening to specifically ‘share candy’ and pray over Megan and Nichol’s moms. Tonight, I am gathering with women to ‘share candy’ together.
So here’s what we are asking of you:
Partner with us. Tell everyone you know. Gather as many people as you can. Grab some literal candy if you will. And as a united body of Christ, let’s all pray over these women. Let’s ‘share candy’ together.
Prayer requests:
Sharon (Megan’s Mom)-
She is battling stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Her doctors have told her there is no chance of recovery. Megan has specifically asked for us to pray for a miracle, whatever that looks like. We believe there is so much healing that can come from sharing this testimony.
Candy (Nichol’s Mom)-
She is battling stage 2 adrenal carcinoma and has a pseudomonas infection in her blood that has caused sepsis. Candy is struggling with panic attacks and would love specific prayer over that.
“Choose to go. Choose to stay. Choose a thousand different things. But choose what you choose on purpose. Choose what you choose for the purpose of knowing Him better and making Him known to other people. He is where the best story is. He is worth it. He’s worth it all—our time, our prayers, our discipline, our dreams, our lives. Run His way, in His direction, and don’t ever stop.” —Grace Thorton
I hope you choose, on purpose, to ‘share candy’ tonight.
Since 7/13/17 people have begun to ask how they can help support Sharon and Candy financially. So we have now set up a GoFundMe for their medical expenses. If you would like to donate directly to them, please click here.
