Hi, friends. I have been so encouraged to hear how the Lord has moved in others lives as a result of my cancer diagnosis. We know that God is always doing a thousand things at any one time, and it is exciting to get the opportunity to see these ripples of grace. I will occasionally share stories of how friends & family are seeing God’s hand as a result of my cancer diagnosis. You can’t even imagine how it encourages my heart, to know that His good is overcoming this terrible cancer. If you have a “ripple of grace” that you’d be open with me sharing here on the blog, please email me at : bturnersc at gmail.com with the subject “Ripple of Grace”. Thank you!
This first “ripple of grace” is from my dear friend, Amanda.
By Amanda Smith:
(Written May 8)
God is always working behind the curtain doing a million different things. We have no idea what he’s up to behind there but often he pulls back that curtain and allows us to take a glimpse of this beautiful tapestry he is so perfectly weaving together for the good of those who love him.
Today, he gave me a glimpse behind the curtain and I want to share it with you in hopes that this story help you become aware as God pulls back the curtain for you too.
I woke up today full of excitement to go to the hair salon to get my hair done. What girl doesn’t like to get her hair done? It’s always a good day to go to the salon. Today though was especially exciting because you see, a few days ago some girlfriends and I took our sweet friend Brooke, whom you all know, to get her hair cut short before she starts chemo next week. My girls and I decided that we wanted to show our support by cutting off our hair too. It was an amazing time full of laughs, ooohs and ahhhs, make up sessions and a few tears. The night was getting late and our precious friend Sarah who is beautiful and pregnant was getting tired. So I told her that I would come back in a couple of days and we could do my hair then. Of course we all wanted to have it done at the same time and have the picture of all of us with our final product that night but aren’t Gods plans always different than our plans? And His plans are WAY better! Despite me not getting my hair done on the same night, as you read in Brooke’s previous post, the hair party was a success and Brooke looks amazing! Can I get an Amen?!
So now you can see why this day in particular at the salon was more exciting to me than most. The morning started off rough. Mamas I am sure you can relate. I get up to get the kids ready for school, everything seems to go wrong and I pull an epic parenting fail by losing it with my kids. Just being real. Leaving the house feeling unlovable and defeated, I asked God and my daughter for forgiveness, moved on and tried to focus on the treat I had coming my way later in the morning. (this ties into the story I promise)
I arrive at the hair salon, nervous but excited. I’ve had long hair for years and cutting it short can always be a little scary but what better reason to do this than to support your bestie during this journey of breast cancer. Little did I know what God had in store for me and for three others for that matter.
I sat in the chair as my friend began doing my hair and as always in a salon chair, you start baring your soul to each other either because you know them really well or you think youll never see them again. (Sometimes I wonder about the many crazy stories a hair stylist hears)
We were talking pretty deep about our faith, our trust in God and the struggles and questions we sometimes have. In the middle of our conversation she says “Ill be right back, I have to get something from a client”. When she came back a few minutes later she says “My faith has been restored. In this moment right now my faith has been restored.” I had another friend with me and we looked at each other like what just happened out there. She didn’t elaborate and then changed the subject and said “Amanda I have a surprise for you.” At this point I am baffled and confused. First we are talking about faith struggles and then she says her faith has been restored and then she says I have a surprise for you. It didn’t make sense but I just rolled with it.
About an hour later when she was almost done with my hair I jokingly asked her where my surprise was thinking it was nothing. She still wouldn’t tell me. Finally after all was said and done she said “ok…Your surprise is that a lady came in here earlier and paid for your hair!” I’m looking at her in disbelief and then we just started laughing with a deep Joy that I could not explain. the confusion from earlier all started to make sense. She expalined to tell me that she has a lady that comes in once a year around Mother’s Day to bless a woman by paying for her hair. She does it because her mother had cancer and one of her favorite things to do was getting her hair done. The lady texted Sarah 30 minutes before I got there and said “I’m coming in today so to be thinking about who we want to bless today.”
When the anonymous (to me) lady came in, Sarah told her that she knew exactly who she wanted to give it to. She said to the lady “do you remember my friend Brooke who was diagnosed with breast cancer recently that I’ve been posting about on Facebook? Well her best friend is sitting in my chair right now getting her hair cut short in support of Brooke who came In to have her hair cut before her chemo.” The woman responded “That is God and that is perfect, that is who I want to bless today.” So $150 later I had a new haircut AND color because of this woman who wanted to bless someone in honor of her mother.
Now friends, ONLY GOD. Only God can put together a story like that and time it out that perfectly. On the ONE day a year that she does this for her mother who had cancer, I just “happen” to be sitting in the chair because of best friend with cancer. Words cannot properly express the overwhelming gratitude I have for this woman but also for God and the glimpses of grace He is giving not only Brooke but all of those around her.
My friends faith was restored right then because she saw God in the flesh through this woman who God tied into this story. I was blessed because I didn’t have to pay for my hair but more importantly because God was relentless in showing me that no matter what kind of person I was earlier that morning, HE STILL LOVES ME and will go out of his way to show me. The lady who paid was blessed because today she wasn’t just paying for a haircut but she knew that she was part of the bigger story. And last but certainly not least Brooke was blessed because she saw once again that God is in this! He is in Every. Single. Detail. of our lives. And that my friends is the God we serve. He does immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. He takes the smallest details and puts them togther to make a beautiful tapestry. I know I will never forget this day and how God showed his steadfast love to myself, Sarah, the kind lady and Brooke. To God be the glory!
