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I am sure we have all had conversations with God about various aspects of our lives. We may have heard Him reply as we pray—that still, small voice, that gut feeling, that “knowing” when an answer comes to you out of the blue.
There are many things God has placed on my heart, and I have explained to Him all the reasons I am not the right person. I have even told Him that I am not equipped for the job. Then I am reminded of 2 Timothy 3:17: "That the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." I know in my heart I am equipped because I am His creation, and I am complete.
I recently answered God’s call, a call He placed on my heart three or four years ago. It took 3 or 4 years to answer because I was afraid. Over the past year, I have been writing a book about a healing journey and a tool He revealed to me to process the adversities and challenges I faced in my life.
Why did it take so long for me to answer the call? Probably the biggest reason is that I wasn’t sure the message was from God. It was revealed to me the first time when I was reviewing pictures from a photo session with a professional photographer. There was a photo that jumped out at me, and my first thought was – that’s the photo for the back of my book. Immediately, I asked myself, what book? You aren’t writing a book, I said to myself!
God wanted me to share the experiences and challenges I have encountered in my life in hopes of helping others avoid the pain and suffering I have endured. I delayed the book for several reasons. I still had some work to do on my own healing journey.
How could I write about something when I felt like there was more growth and healing that needed to happen first? I was also afraid of what others would think of me when they read what I have been through in my life. Afraid they would think less of me, the fearing they would judge me. Those feelings ignited the fear that I am not enough.
As I began to write I realized this process was part of my healing journey. It “forced” me to confront my emotions I had packed away for decades. The unpacking was emotional and messy, and I often felt the full force of the experience again. I spent hours in prayer and reflection about what I was reliving, and realized how therapeutic the writing became for me.
While writing, I was blessed with the opportunity to explore my experiences from a different and unique perspective, as if I were observing someone else in my memories. I came to realize that I was someone else at that stage of my life. I was in a different stage of life, and my perspective was skewed by being entrenched in the emotions and challenges I was facing. The topics God revealed to me to address in the book are hard. They are painful to recount, and they feel like a heavy burden.
I hired an author’s coach who helped me navigate the emotions and channel them onto the pages of my book. She guided me and often provided clarity for me as we talked through the experiences I shared that felt crippling.
There were several times when I asked God, "Why me? Why do you want me to share this personal journey with others?" I already knew the answer because He laid it on my heart early in life that I was to serve and help others. I didn’t know what that meant or how I would do that, but He always guided my steps and placed me where I needed to be.
I recall an example of this was when my children were young. We struggled financially and were blessed with a church family that loved and cared for us. They provided prayer, counsel, and meals when we needed them. When I was back on my feet, I was able to pay it forward by supporting our local food bank through volunteerism and eventually financial donations to help those needing a hand up, just like our family did.
Much like that situation, I feel God has guided me to share the hard times in my life to shed light on dark subjects and to help others know and understand they are not alone in their journey. The difficult times help us grow in our faith and reveal our strength, resilience, and gifts.
Has God been speaking to you? Asking you to do something hard, something that makes you uncomfortable? I encourage you to pray about it and ask God to reveal His purpose for you if it is unclear.
In a recent conversation with a friend, I mentioned the revelation I had when writing my book. I am sharing my story, my way, vulnerable and raw. I feel empowered in doing so. I believe God is using the book to help me in my continued growth to step into my authenticity. You know the feeling when you pray and release all your troubles to God, leaving them with Him? How free you feel, how at peace you are, knowing it will all work out as it should? That is the feeling I have as I complete the book.
I believe we all have a story to share—for the sake of others. It is not about us; it is about who we can help, who needs to hear God’s story through our experiences. Has God called you to do something uncomfortable and hard? Will you answer the call? If you do, the blessings you experience will be greater than you can imagine.
My book, Beyond Overcoming, a Journey to what’s next is a walk through my journey of a failed suicide attempt, domestic violence and sex trafficking and 4-step processing tool God revealed to me that I utilize daily to overcome the adversities and challenges life throws my way.
Dawn Candy Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur, Community Leader
713-992-1995
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