The Candy Man Can

A dear and precious friend shared an allegorical tale with me the other day.  We had been discussing our longings and heart aches, wondering how the heavenly Father sees and handles them all.  This wonderful and creative lady created an image of God’s work in our lives. Let me see if I can build creatively on her story and encourage you by it as I was so wonderfully that day.

The Candy Man Can

The walk to The Treasured Sweets Shoppe is on a path so worn by us, that our eyes could be closed and we’d still make it right to the spot outside the window of the shop.  My friend and I have made the journey from home to our place against the glass every single day for the last few years. 

But, we’ve never gone in the shop. We’re not sure we’re allowed inside.  When we stand outside the shop with our faces pressed against the shiny window, we see kids of all sorts inside. Each one is smiling and laughing. The Candy Man keeps serving them treats from trays that are laden with chocolates, caramels, and candies.  Some in the corner even get ice cream sundaes with whipped cream piled so high it goes up their noses.  They laugh while they lick it off with up curled tongues.  It all looks so delicious.

And the Candy Man looks so nice.  Every now and then, He seems to look towards the window and smile at us.  But, we never know if He means we should come inside, or if maybe He just smiles to be nice, but really wishes we’d get our messy noses off His sparkling clear glass. 

He shares with the children so freely.  It’s funny, but we notice He doesn’t let the kids paw their hands all through the treats.  He looks all around His trays and seems to pick out the perfect treat He wants them to enjoy.  My mouth waters and I swallow hard sometimes when I see kids take the first bite of the delicacies offered to them.

Most of the kids inside seem thankful, and that makes the Candy Man so happy.  He rubs their heads with His big smooth hand.  I can almost feel what His hand would feel like on my shoulder when I see Him caress one of the kids on their own shoulders or arms.  I bet it feels warm and soft.  He seems like He’s always gentle.  Even when some of the kids drop their treats, or drip melted ice cream on the floor, He doesn’t’ get angry.  He just gently cleans up the messes, and serves more to those sloppy kids. 

There are a couple of kids who my friend and I notice don’t seem thankful for their sweets.  Boy, would we like to change places with them. We’d for sure be thankful.  That’s what we say to each other as we gaze through the glass.  The Man seems sad when kids aren’t thankful. When we watch Him, it doesn’t look like He scolds them at all, but He sure has a look on His face that says, ‘Sadness’.

We walk home every day wondering when we can go in the Treasure Shop.  It’s so frightening to wonder if the Candy Man would never want us inside.   What if He threw us out and said that only certain kids could come in and enjoy His special treasures?  Standing outside the glass, longing forever, would be easier than having Him tell us we can never come inside.  Sometimes, we get so scared of that thought, we are afraid that maybe we should just never go back.  Maybe this would keep the Man from ever rejecting us.

But, our hearts pull us to the Shoppe every day.  Our faces press on the glass, the steam from our breath clouding the glass so that we have to wipe it with our palms over and over again. 

Oh, look at today’s tray of goodies.  They look so much more rich than we’ve ever seen.  I don’t even recognize the chocolates.  Truffles, maybe?  I’ve heard of those, but I don’t know what they are.  The Candy Man isn’t passing those out, yet.

Uh, oh.  The Man is looking at us a lot today.  We are wondering if we should just back up and leave.  Are we making His glass too messy today?  He’s never scowled or anything, but today He keeps looking up at us.  Oh, no. He just put that  extra special looking tray back in the glass case and He’s walking towards the door.

My friend is shaking and my heart is beating so hard I think He can hear it through the glass.  I know she wants to run like I want to run, but it is too late.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling.

The bell rings as the Candy Man opens the door and steps outside.  Neither of us look up at Him. We just keep looking down at our feet now.

“My precious Children, would you like to come inside today?” He gently asks.

We both slowly turn our faces to Him. Did He just invite us in to share His treats?

“Little Ones, I’ve been watching you for so long.  I have not ignored your looks of longing.  You’ve been so patient, watching the others enjoy my treasures.  I could tell you wanted to be able to take part in them, too, but you’ve stayed outside the glass.  It’s been so long you’ve stood there.  Are you ready to share in my delicacies?  I’m ready to share with you now.”

My heart is still beating wildly.  The Candy Man is, indeed, speaking to us with love and an invitation. He isn’t shooing us away.  He isn’t telling us we can’t have what the others have been enjoying.  I can feel my friend’s  hand shaking in my own.  She squeezes me tightly. 

“Beloved, I’ve been waiting for just the right time to invite you in.  I knew you’d always be grateful for any treats. But, I’ve been saving a very exotic array of delicacies just for the day you’d be allowed in.  I ordered them especially for you on the first day you pressed your tiny faces against my glass.  These treasures are so costly and rare that they have taken many, many days to arrive.  I’ve not given them to the others.  Today, I want to give them to  you.  I am looking so forward to watching you as you gratefully delight in every single morsel that touches your tongue. For, I know this will, indeed, be your response to My long awaited treasures for you.”

“Come in, please.  Let me take you both to a spot waiting just for you.”

We both take one of His hands.  Yes, they are just as warm and soft as I imagined His hands would be.  When we get inside, He lets go of our hands, and we grab on to each other.  The smells in the Candy Shoppe are overwhelming. Such sweet aromas, such richness.  It is hard not to cry, it is all so powerful to every sense we possess. 

We slowly walk towards the glass counter where behind it the Man has stepped.  He takes out that tray; the one we saw earlier with all the exotic indescribable chocolates on it.  With His big, gentle hand, He slowly picks just the perfect one for each of us.  I noticed He gave my friend a different chocolate than my own, but once I tasted mine, I didn’t care.

I was overcome.  The sweetness, the delight, the joy…this treasured delicacy was like nothing I’d never tasted.  He’d had it planned for me all along. He said so. He was just waiting for the perfect day to invite me in to partake of it.  I stood outside that glass, thinking He didn’t even care whether I was there or not. I thought He noticed me, but didn’t know me.  He did know me all along.  He knew the treat that would be like gold to me. 

He planned to delight my heart all along.   And He knew my friend just as well. I watched her slowly nibble away on her sweet treat, and she was just as thrilled with hers as I was with mine.  And we were so happy for each other.  Together, we had walked the path of yearning, and together, we saw and felt The Candy Man reach out to us in our deepest longing moment, draw us in to His treasured place and feed us the richest of fare, prepared and planned just for us.

The Man never took His eyes and heart from us, even when we had no clue He noticed.  He was always noticing.

And He’s always noticing.

Father, thank you that you are far beyond any Candy Man, but, this imagery makes me love you more desperately.  Thank you for always noticing my yearnings and planning for them far in advance of my own notice.