Hey sweet friends! It is honestly hard to believe that summer is wrapping up and fall is just around the corner. I have been reflecting on so so much recently, because a lot of exciting things have been happening around here!
Through it all, though, I have been so reminded of the Lord’s faithfulness to finish the work He starts in and through us. And that the Lord is faithful to do what He says He is going to do, and that, when He calls us to something, He will always be with us every step of the way.
“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” // Philippians 1:6
“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” // Isaiah 58:11
I will never forget Wes telling me back before I left for my time living overseas in Uganda (during our engagement season) that, “Where God Guides, He Provides” – and that phrase has truly stuck with me ever since. This is the phrase that I constantly cling to and that has pretty much become my life motto because I have learned to know, trust, and believe that inside God’s will is the very safest and best place to be. So wherever He calls, that's where I want to be!
And speaking of some of the exciting things that have been going on recently…
My sweet and amazing husband, Wes, officially finished his last final exam and paper of his Seminary (Master’s in Divinity) degree this past month! He has been working SO hard this past year working full time at his job, being the college pastor at our church, and finishing up his Seminary degree and I couldn’t be more proud to be his wife! I absolutely can’t wait to see how God continues to use Wes for His Kingdom purposes and I’m so thankful I get to be by his side through it all!
We even got to celebrate the other week with a sweet little getaway down at the beach with just the two of us!
This was such a special few days full of soaking up the last little bit of summer, celebrating Wes finishing his Seminary degree, and enjoying God’s beautiful Creation – that, like I always say, is such a good and comforting reminder of just how big God is, and how little we are.
For those of you who may not have known this, in addition to running my sweet lettering art business (Emily Mabry Creative), I am also currently in graduate school for professional counseling. And I am super excited because, as of this coming week, I officially start my counseling practicum and internship at a local Christian Counseling Center here in my community, which means I am one step closer to getting my Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling!
After my time teaching kindergarten and pre-school students in this area my first two years out of college as well as my time working with women and children overseas in Uganda, I’ve dreamed of helping, encouraging, and walking alongside others as they grow and become who God has uniquely created and called them to be - and it has been so amazing to see these dreams come true and all of the hard work these past couple of years pay off! I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store as I pursue this calling and give glory to God through it all, while also keeping up with this sweet lettering art business, too (which has been the biggest blessing to my family during all of this)!
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:5
My prayer is that Jesus will use me to be a reflection of His love and compassion to whoever He puts along my path and that He will shine brightly through it all. And I am so very thankful, as always, for the most encouraging, supportive, and amazing husband who has been by my side and been pushing me to chase after my God-sized dreams since the day we met. I am so thankful to have a Kingdom teammate and best friend in Wes - forever and always!
And in the midst of it all, I have also spent so much time recently just reflecting on the Lord’s faithfulness to guide and provide in leading us to exactly where He has called us to be for this particular season (“for such a time as this…” - Esther 4:14).
I am currently reading Beth Moore’s new book titled “Chasing Vines” and it is full of so much truth and wisdom! Here’s a little excerpt that I thought was so beautifully written and that I wanted to share with y’all this morning:
“That wild and precious life of yours matters - to God and to the world. Not a drop of it is wasted. Your work matters. Your gifts matter. Your tears matter. Your pain matters. Your joy matters. Your hopes matter. Your dreams matter. Your successes matter. Your failure matters. Your relationships matter. Your memories matter. Your childhood matters. Your past matters. Your future matters. Your present matters. God uses it - all of it. In the hands of the Vinedresser, nothing is dropped. Everything matters.”
I absolutely love these words and couldn’t agree more with what Beth wrote…because I have tasted and seen, in my own life, that God truly can bring beauty and joy even out of the deepest and darkest circumstances and parts of your story– and I pray that we can all hold onto that reminder of truth during these hard and trying times in our country and world. And I’m also praying that these words encourage and remind you of just how loved and known you are by Our Heavenly Father, sweet friends. Your life and your FULL story matters to God – every single part of it. And you are loved more than you could ever dream or imagine. And nothing is too far gone for the Lord to heal, restore, and redeem!
Lastly, I am feeling so grateful this morning for this small business and the special opportunity it has given me to create happy lettering art that I pray will help spread a little more light, beauty, color, fun, and joy into the lives of you and your loved ones!
I can never thank y’all enough for continuing to #shopsmall and support this sweet lettering art business of mine that has supported our family through graduate school and been such a blessing beyond words! It has been so humbling and amazing for both Wes and I to see how the Lord has grown EMC since the beginning and watch it take off before our eyes, and I know that none of this would have been possible without all of YOU!
So I just wanted to close this little blog post by saying THANK YOU for all of your constant love, encouragement, and support with this special small business of mine. Your kind words, letters, and messages mean more than you will ever know and I am forever thankful for this EMC community!
I am so grateful for every single one of you who follow along over here at EMC - today and every day! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a happy happy Saturday!
