One day I am at Lifeway (Christian store) with my good friend and editor, Kelly White. At the time, I was reading a lot of football biographies- James Brown, Tony Dungy- which were all written by Nathan Whitaker.

As I stood in front of the book shelf, I grabbed my next read. It was Tim Tebow’s book, also written by Whitaker. So I pointed to the author’s name and said to Kelly, and I quote:

“I want to be the next Nathan Whitaker.”

An avid reader pretty much my entire life, guess how many times I’ve said I wanna be the next blah, blah, author up until that point?

Exactly zero.

Fast forward two years and I am headed to the grocery store after doing my regular volunteer gig at Homecoming Project, Inc. Kelly has been asking me if I could consult on a fiction football book she’s been editing and since I am all about the pigskin, I say, of course!

She first mentioned it in November and it is now early January.

As I’m walking into Wegman’s Kelly calls my cell and greets me with a gush in her voice, “Are you sitting down?”

“No why, what’s up?”

“Well I just got a copy of the galley for that book that you will be editing and you’re never going to believe who wrote it! I can’t even believe this.”

I’m smiling from ear to ear because I know it’s got to be good. But my mind is blank. I can’t think a thing, only smile.

“Molly, the book was written by Nathan Whitaker. Can you believe it?”

“Noo.” I say in disbelief, “Really?”

“Yes really. Can you believe it?” She is giggling now and explains that until she saw the galley (cover) she never knew who the author was.

I busted out laughing at that point, too, as we recalled that one day in Lifeway when I said I wanted to be the next Nathan Whitaker.

Could I believe it?

No. Way.

Me and Kelly laughed for a few more minutes on the phone because wow, wow, wow….what a coincidence.

Right?

There are no coincidences.

God was working his magic.

As I write this, a few years later, I still get goosebumps and smile from ear to ear when I think about this story. When I think about how things have worked out— are still working out.

Now, I have a book series in the works with Nathan Whitaker’s agent, DJ Snell. Hello G3! And although I am not planning on being the next Nathan Whitaker (who is hysterical, by the way!) I am thrilled to be living my very own dream.

If you take only one thing from this true story from me let it be this:

When you allow things to happen in God’s time and in God’s way, prepare to be amazed at how things work out. Really amazed!