The journey continues…

Woooooooow yesterday marked my 9 month journey here in NEW YORK… I can’t believe it!! As you can see from the GIF below, this expresses my reaction to that thought mixed with tears and gratitude to God.

For the past few weeks I have been in some rather unique situations that have led me to doing A LOT of reevaluating my purpose, my move, my future and so many more things. The most interesting situation so far has been that of me seeing why God moved me 1,500 miles away from the known and placed me dead smack in the middle of the unknown. The why has blown my mind and has overtaken me in such a way that I have never experienced before. As I am typing this my eyes are full of tears of gratitude to God for even thinking that I am worthy enough to help carry out such a huge plan that He has for His children. That goes for each of you as well. When you start to feel less than or start to question why am I in this place doing this… The answer is that God wants you to show this world the masterpiece that He has created within you. Your smile, your kindness, your love, your personality, your talents, your beauty, your style, your voice, your creativity, your gentleness, your generosity and the list goes on and on about what this world needs to see because of the God within you.

Some pretty amazing opportunities have occurred for me that I would’ve never experienced if I were still in my known/comfort zone. Don’t get me wrong, moving outside of your comfort zone will bring pain, fear, tears, beauty, growth and vulnerability but through this journey which I still face daily, God’s promises stay the same. My go to scripture is Matthew 6:25-26

25That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life–whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?

26Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?

I never realized how much a worried until I decided to take this faith walk journey and all I could depend on was God My Source to provide the resources that I needed exactly at the times that I needed them. By me doing my part of working and doing as I am instructed to do, led to doors of opportunities that led to more resources. I struggle daily with not worrying and doing what I was sent here to do but I remind myself along with some pretty awesome people that are in my life, that I need God to help me in those moments of weakness.

As I sit here and think about all the people that I’ve met since I’ve moved here, reminds me that these types of connections and relationships don’t just happen everyday. God connected us all together for such a time as this and I am forever grateful. When you allow God to write your story and not get ahead of Him, you will experience a crazy amount of peace and it will make it easier to trust Him more and more. The next blog post topic will be on trust and boy oh boy do I have plenty of stories about that. You’ll have to check on back with that new topic of discussion.

Always remember that you will have struggles, disappointments, highs and lows in life and they are only here to mold you into the best version which is the masterpiece God created before this world began. So show this world proudly who God is and how His way is the only way that works by creating Kingdom success/fruitfulness.

Please leave a comment below on your experiences with moving out of your comfort zone. Can’t wait to read them!! Praying for each of you and if you have any special prayer requests, feel free to contact me and I would love to join you in prayer.

‘Til next time my loves… Be the change that you wish to see!!

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FAITHing my way to the top

Well hello there and welcome to my newest series: FAITHing my way to the top.

If you are new to my blog… I am SO excited that you are joining us. In order for you to be able to follow along with this post you have to go back and read my previous series called 3:2. Click the link to read that fun series below https://sweetinspirationsbycandyce.com/2018/01/01/32/

I know that’s it’s been a while since I have posted on my blog, but honey let me tell you how my life has and is continuously changing day by day.

The main purpose for my move to New York is to grow my business that helps equip young ladies for purpose while partnered with a Godly mentor. The path that God has chosen for me to journey into is the entertainment industry. I am at a place in my life where my “Yes Lord” literally means wherever and whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.

Disclaimer: This is the most challenging season of my life that I’ve ever had. It’s pushing me into a deeper level with God and self discovery. My insecurities have been placed on center stage and I’m sitting in the front row staring back at them while fighting through the blinding lights and heat that come from the pressures all around me. There’s no getting around them. There’s no yelling “CUT” and “BACK TO ONE”. You continue to push through every emotion and every reality. The only thing that is helping me to see past the blinding lights and spot lights on my insecurities is the faith that I have in God. He is right by my side and wipes away my tears.

The title of this series came to me a few weeks ago and it hit me like a ton of bricks. This season of life that I’m in is literally my leap of faith while wearing heels. Ladies you know how heels make you feel from the very beginning after you purchase them and the many times after you have had them a while. Very painful at times BUT you feel BEAUTIFUL in them and like a new lady. But the most important thing to remember about wearing heels, you don’t just sit down in them. It requires you to actually walk in them and go places and that is where the pain comes from. Not in the sitting still and pretty stage but in the actual journey from your home to your destination. Think about that for a few moments.

So as I am reflecting on the mountain moments where everything seems to be working out perfectly and exceeding your expectations, those moments will have you praising God from a joyful and cheerful place. But what about those moments when you weren’t ready for those deep valley places and you thought that the faith that you have in God would continue to elevate you to mountain top views. Well I’m here to share my journey of mountain top views and of deep valley places. I’ve experienced both just this short time that I’ve been in New York. I went from getting booked back to back to rejection after rejection and rejection again. Yes it did take a brief toll on me and my faith but God reminded me that He is right here with me and that I’m still growing closer to him and will be able to touch the lives of so many different people. I have already seen that done right in front of me. Each set that I’ve been on has allowed me to share my testimony with so many others.All of the No’s only reminded me that those were not the doors that I needed to have opened in order to fulfill my ultimate goal/purpose.

All of the opportunities that I have been given, don’t just happen on a regular basis especially to someone that is just getting into the entertainment industry. All of the business classes that I’ve been taking weekly for FREE, don’t just happen anywhere. You have to pay thousands of dollars for this type of information in order to grow a business. God is showing me that by my active faith in Him and trusting Him to provide for me, is the ONLY way that I’ll make it to the top.

I want you to ask yourself: What will my life look like if I go after what GOD has created me to do instead of what I think it should be like?

In closing, when I am referring to “TO THE TOP” I’m not meaning taking over an industry or being well known. It means to the top of your purpose that you were created for. Remember that no one can do what you were created to do like you can. This world needs our obedience. Stay alert of any distractions that will be sent your way by Satan and discern everything that is placed in front of you.

Love y’all and I will post some shots from my photoshoot at the end of each post.

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3:2 Finale

Well well well… We have come to the finale of this 3:2 series.

As I have reflected back from the start of this year up until today, I think that it’s safe to say that my life has changed dramatically. It all started with a simple but complex “YES GOD”. All the excuses had to be thrown out the window. If you would’ve asked me a year ago if I would drop my life in Houston to move to a state where I didn’t really know anyone, my answer would’ve been “Umm absolutely not”. The way that God has shown me that trusting Him no matter what honestly leaves me speechless. All of the people that He has placed in my life and the mind blowing events that have taken place right before my eyes, ignites a bigger flame within me. Transparency moment: I have become afraid at times and not wanting to keep pushing for the things that I know that I need in order for me to utilize my fullest potential. My prayers have even changed. This new season requires a different version of myself and it also magnifies my areas of weakness. Let’s just say I’m uncomfortable right now but I refuse to give up. Yes it is hard, but I look back at all that I’ve gone through and have accomplished and I WILL NOT GIVE UP.

My 32nd birthday was on Monday and it was not only a regular birthday, it signified so much more. Here is a picture I took in Times Square.

I had lots of emotions and thoughts swarming around in my brain.

My top 3:

  1. Wow!! This is my new way of life that I’ve been praying about and now I’m actually experiencing it.
  2. I definitely stand out and don’t feel like I fit in with the people here.
  3. It’s going to take me a while to get use to Public transportation because we’ve gotten off at the wrong stop 2 times. I’m afraid of the Subways LoL!!!

This entire week and a half that I’ve been living here has tightened my relationship with God even more and has opened up so many conversations about God and pursuing obedience with so many people. Their responses are just mind blowing and how just my walking on water experience has opened their hearts to obedience. I must say, I’ve already experienced disappointments and don’t like them BUT there’s a reason for it all.

Now that I am officially 32 years old… I don’t have any fancy smancy things to say other than… THIS WILL BE THE YEAR OF EXPERIENCES LIKE NO OTHER!!

Enjoy the pictures from “My Birthday in the City” edition with my Desi that came out here Friday to help me celebrate my birthday. She left Wednesday afternoon. I love her so much and I’m so thankful for our sisterhood!!!

3:2 Discussion question: Comment about what God has spoken to you through this series. Also if you have any topic ideas that you would like for me to post about, let me know!!!

I pray that each of you were blessed by my blog and ‘Til next time maximize your time here on Earth by doing things out of your comfort zone.

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3:2 I did it

After last night’s post, I decided to jump in and see what that would look like living in New York. I decided to WALK to the grocery store. I have NEVER ever done that before let alone in a neighborhood that I’ve never been to in a completely different culture. The urge to speak and to smile at people is rooted SO deep in me that I honestly feel like I’m in shackles when I’m out. I wanted to smile at so many people while on my walk but was quickly reminded that people don’t do that here. That is so mysterious to me.

I got my groceries and headed back home. My walk was not even 5 minutes and when I got home, I paused to reflect on what I just experienced. I have entered into a new type of life and I don’t know how I fit in. God is definitely going to have to show me how He wants me to be. But then He reminded me that I’m not supposed to fit in. Honestly I still don’t understand what that is going to look like for me in this season. I am a very friendly person because I have the joy of Lord within me. I’m just going to leave that alone right now.

So after I ate my breakfast, I got a sudden boost of energy to organize my room and closets. I am settling in more each day. When you feel comfortable in your own home, you begin to be comfortable with your surroundings. I’m already secure in who I am in Christ so I must transfer that into every area of my life. Tonight’s post is very short I know.

I’m going to combine tomorrow and Sunday together as a post on the eve of my 32nd birthday. So I’ll check back in with y’all Sunday!!!!

3:2 Discussion question… What have you accomplished that you’ve been putting off?

‘Til next time my loves remember that when you do one thing that you were apprehensive about and when you actually do that, more than one thing will come from it. That is just the door to open up other things that needed to be done as well.

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3:2 The newness

Raise your hand if you have ever become overtaken by the newness of something. Whether it be a new job, car, pet, home, promotion, relationship, career, gadget and the list goes on and on. Have you found yourself stuck in that initial moment when you experienced the newness of whatever you had? What did that do you in the first moment of interacting with it? Did you have a sense of wholeness? Or feel that you have arrived honey? Whatever you felt in that very first moment, we can all agree that the initial emotions and feelings went away.

At what point do we get past the initial feelings and into the reality of the power that our newness can and will have over us?

I’m asking these types of questions to get your mind and actions from being stuck in the initial moment that align with putting actions behind the newness.

So as you know by now I have moved to New York just a few days ago. My lifestyle since I graduated college has been that of GO,GO,GO. “Go after it”, “make it happen”, “do whatcha gotta do” etc. As I’ve had these few days to reflect and just sit quietly before God, I have realized that I don’t know how to be ok with not doing anything. I think I’m afraid that I may become too comfortable with not doing anything that I literally do nothing. I’ve had to push myself out of the mood of just laying down into make plans and write them out. I’m not saying don’t do anything, the way that my life has been set up and the current season that I’m in, I can’t afford to settle into the newness for too long. That will completely go against the purpose of why I’m even in New York.

I am being very transparent tonight! I absolutely love it here already and I know that I can get distracted easily. Please check in on me to make sure that I am still walking in my purpose. I have so much to do for the Kingdom but the difference this time is, I have God’s power to make things happen to help build His Kingdom. I know that it’s not my doing but it’s the Holy Spirit that is within me. I had things backwards before, it was me doing things in my own will, not God’s. I know better now!!

3:2 Discussion question: What newness have you settled deep into lately?

‘Til next time my loves remember to push past the newness smell and into the natural scent of where you are called to be.

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3:2 Jump in

Hey y’all!!! I’m going to miss hearing y’all LoL!! Today was pretty chill for me. I rested more and allowed myself to be ok with doing that. I didn’t realize how much my lifestyle was based on service. So now that I’m in a completely different region and season of life, I am going to have to learn how I fit in.

Ok so I couldn’t sit still that long. Ordered me an Uber and off I went to church. My roommate told me about Uberpool so I decided to try it out tonight, the lady that joined my uber didn’t talk at all. She only said hello when she got in the car and thank you when she left. No eye contact or pleasant smile. That drove me crazy not to talk to people. So when I got “there” my driver dropped me off across the street from it, mind you this is an extremely busy intersection. I asked him if he could get closer and he said no, so I got out and held my bible and my purse close as I said a prayer. I had to look like I knew where I was going and like a New Yorker while inside I was praying that I wouldn’t get hit by a car or robbed. So let’s just thank God I didn’t get hit but a car seemed like it was very close to me but I wasn’t going to look at them. As I walked inside the church now late, Bible study had already started and I absolutely loved it. We actually studied different stories in a different way and had discussions. I will forever be a life long learner. I love learning! Afterwards I was introduced to THE sweetest people that welcomed me in with open arms. A family even dropped me back home so that I didn’t have to uber again. God has a way of doing things perfectly and timely.

Jump in…. As you learn how to swim, in order for you to even begin the process of learning, you actually have to jump in and get wet. A lot of times we don’t even want to jump in, we just want to hang out around the pool. Do you find yourself waiting for someone to TELL you to jump in, waiting on someone to PUSH you in or you are TERRIFIED to jump in? Either one that you are identifying with, they each require a certain type of person to carry it out.

For example I could’ve told myself that you should get all settled in before going to visit churches, or do more research on the area of town of these churches, rest more or even it’s absolutely too cold to be out tonight. But I decided to jump in because I’ve decided that my walk with God should not depend on how I feel or others. If you’re struggling with jumping in… ask yourself the discussion questions that I will post at the bottom.

This was my outfit for tonight! I had on gloves and eventually put on my hood while I was standing outside waiting for the sweet wife of the husband that dropped me off at home. We actually got snow today and it was such a sight for me to see in person.

3:2 Discussion questions…

  1. What are you holding back from jumping into? Whether it be a goal, your purpose or something that you are fearful of doing. Identify that and pray directly towards that to break that chain on fear.
  2. Do you think that you are only affected by the fear of you jumping in?

‘Til next time my loves remember to jump in and learn the process of what God is trying to teach you so that you can teach others.

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3:2 Take it all in

For my first day of being a New Yorker can you guess what I did today??? I did absolutely nothing today. My body was getting exhausted so I decided to rest. Boy did that feel good. I woke up super early like I always do and couldn’t go back to sleep. So I prayed and tried to take this all in more. It really hasn’t hit me yet honestly.

I wanted to talk about taking in every situation that you are involved in. A lot of times we get so busy and worrying about the next thing that we forget to take in the current moment. One area that God worked on my heart was being present. I have the tendacy to over plan and over analyze situations in my head and be completely zoned out from the person who is right in front of me. That was such an exhausting time in my life. When you’re present, you are able to engage that person(s) conversation and respond appropriately. We all can tell true genuine people when we are in conversations with them. Those are the types of people that we want to stay connected to. Learning how I used to be has help mold me into the genuine person that I am today. I absolutely LOVE listening and engaging with people that I am around.

Take it all in. Take in who you are talking to. Take in the scenery. Take it the memories that you are making with whomever you are with. Take in the blessings that God has so graciously given to you. Take in all that you went through in order to have that current moment. Take in the emotions. Take in all of the people that are close to you. Take it in that there is ALWAYS a reason for every moment of your life. Take it all in.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

I’m choosing to take in the fact that I love the way of life up here with food and delivery methods. I don’t have to leave the house to get food. Here’s a pic of the delivery guy from tonight.

How cool is that?!? I’ll be taking in more tomorrow and every day after that.

3:2 Discussion question: What have you not taken the time to take in lately?

‘Til next time my loves remember to always be present!!!

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3:2 The coast is all clear

It’s official ladies and gentlemen I am a New Yorker!! I still feel like I’m just here visiting so like any other normal person that feels like this… what do they do? They unpack and move furniture around LoL!! That’s exactly what I am doing right now. I absolutely LOVE to decorate so I can’t wait to make it my own.

I am going to have to get use to this time difference. It was already dark by 6 o’clock and only one thing comes to my mind with darkness and New York… can you guess what it is?………………THE ATTACK OF THE HUGE GIGANTIC SIZED RATS. Well quick story about that… I originally ordered some pizza from a Pizzeria not too far from my place and it was getting closer to the deliver time and I hadn’t heard anything from them. I go look on the app for any updates and it says CANCELLED. My little heart dropped and was like wait, why? All I wanted was some pizza. But I guess they close at 9 and I placed my order and it didn’t tell me that they were about to close. So I was all in my feelings thinking “I am a brand new New Yorker how dare you treat your fellow people like this LoL”. After those thoughts one fact still remained… I was STARVING! I looked for another restaurant and I settled on Wing Stop can’t go wrong with them right?!? *Blank stare* 😒 first off let’s talk about how I ordered the wrong meal, secondly my fries were cold, thirdly my drink was just tossed in my bag spilled all in the bag. Here’s some pics of this disaster.

As I’m closing the door what do I see running it’s little big happy tail across the walkway down the stairs… Stuart Little 🐀 it wasn’t close to me but I saw it and jumped. As long as they stay outside we are good.

I think that it’s safe to say that I have already experienced the New York life. I rode in a taxi with a CRAZY driver, thought I was about to die in his vehicle, saw a rat, heard some loud old school RnB Dru Hill music from someone’s house LoL oh and stood in a super LONG line and waiting at the airport for a taxi. Thanks for the welcome New York.

Now I can get to the meaning of the title. I’m not sure how God communicates with you but with me especially today was a still small voice but very affirming and direct. As I was gazing out the window looking out into the open sky at these types of views

I thought to myself why aren’t there any clouds like I’m use to seeing when I fly. I kept thinking that and I even dozed off and took a nap and woke back up to the same type of view. So I really asked God saying basically what’s up with this view? Oh boy why did I ask that? Because right after, God just began to drop in my spirit the significance of that clear view that had been around for hundreds and maybe thousands of miles.

He started off by saying The coast is all clear for you Candyce. You have and are doing what I’ve been fighting so hard for you to walk into. Because of your faith and obedience… Your coast is clear. I thought that was the most affirming and sweetest thing to feel and to know that God sees me and He cares all about what I’m doing. He has fought for me and will continue to make my path clear.

I’m not going to share all of them tonight but here’s one more:

Your path is only smooth and clear with me (God). He is the only one that sits high and looks low at all that is going on in our lives. We can’t make our paths clear and smooth on our own. Step aside and Let God make your coast clear.

Last pictures of the night. I know that a part of my purpose is to help others get out of their comfort zones and live the dream that God has for them. I bought this shirt that has several “Dream” prints along the sleeves and around the bicep and tricep muscles area. An early birthday present from a very special new sister friend/little sister was the charm called World Traveler and look what it has on one side of the suitcase… LA, PARIS AND NYC. That charm is so special to me because it is representing this new season.

3:2 Discussion questions: What has God shown you about clearing the coast for you? Do you believe Him even if you don’t see any evidence of the coast being clear?

I am very curious to read your comments to these questions.

‘Til next time my loves remember to always wait on God to go ahead of you to make sure that the coast is clear. I will go deeper on that tomorrow!!!

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3:2 No rest zone

I have been non-stop since 6:30 a.m. Today has been such special day. My church family is simply amazing! I was THE biggest cry baby today and hate saying goodbyes. Being able to share some last laughs with my friends surely made my heart smile.

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n the eve of my big move, I sit here still in disbelief that the day has finally come. I’m going to post pictures from today. Tomorrow I am going to go into more details. I’m keeping it very light tonight because I still have to finish packing. Please keep me in your prayers.

‘Til next time my loves, I will be blogging from NY tomorrow!!!

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3:2 Showering me with love

Today was such a day full of love and surprises.

I am overwhelmed by the love that has been shown today.

Tonight’s post is super short and all I want to say is THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT!!

Tomorrow is going to be the hardest day yet! Please pray for me

Here’s a pic from my family time at my granny’s house today.

I love my family so much! I’m going to leave it at that because I’ve cried so much today.

‘Til next time my loves remember to always cherish each moment that you have with your family and friends.

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