This is my story:

This is what God has done/ is doing in my life:

 Jesus brought me good news: He died so that I could live. He paid the price for my sin on the cross and then was raised from the dead! Because of this I am a new creation in Christ! When I accepted Him as Lord of my life things truly did start to change from the inside out.

He has healed my heart and continues to heal my heart. He will never leave or deceive me. God truly loves me (and you) and wants what is best for me! He has freed me from depression, unforgiveness, bitterness, selfishness, anxiety, and so much more! 

He is not finished with me yet though- I am a work in progress as He shows me how the enemy has lied to me and helps me to see the truth. I am so glad to know now that only Jesus can fill the empty place in my heart! There is a God shaped hole in every heart that we try to fill with other things and people. No person or thing can ever get rid of the feeling that "something's missing" because that something is God in our lives!

In tough times, when everything has fallen apart God has been my greatest comforter. He has held me in His arms like no one else ever could. He has provided for me when I have relied on Him. When there seemed like no way out or when I felt totally out of control. He has made it clear that when I let go and let Him be in control that things actually go much better than I would have ever planned.

He has taken situations in my life that were ashes; destroyed, demolished, hopeless- and He has made beauty; truth, authenticity, unconditional love from my Abba father. There have been times when I have felt despair. But He has held me together. I want to praise Him for all He has done to restore my life. But what is amazing is His ability to go beyond just repair work, painting over the cracked facade of my old life. He has gone in and as gently as possible removed rotten, distorted boards and is rebuilding my life with His truth as the foundation. I am not who I was. I am so glad that God has called me to be more than what I had planned. 

My life has not been perfect. I am not perfect. But God is! And His promises are true always!

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
   and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
 ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
   instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
   instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
   instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   a planting of the LORD
   for the display of his splendor. "

~Isaiah 61:1-3

Jesus revealed in Luke 4 through this passage in the Old Testament that He is the Savior we are in need of. 

The more detailed version:

The beginning of my story is so much like many other stories. I grew up in a small town, parents divorced when I was 10, remarried by the time I was 12. I didn't grow up in church, didn't know much about Jesus other than the bible stories in my neighbors little girls' cardboard books. I was confused about who God is. I didn't know if he was real, and I figured if he was he was an "Old guy sitting on a cloud". 

As a preteen I started going to a traditional small church in town with my mom. Through that church I learned more about God and then at a church camp I decided to receive Jesus as my Savior. I was excited about God, but didn't understand that He is the only one who can fill the emptiness in my heart.

I spent the next several years searching for a way to fill the emptiness in my life. I was depressed, emotional, and wanted to be loved (ok, I was the typical teenager!). I dated boys who I wanted to change or wanted them to love me in a way that really only God can. I tried to numb my pain with alcohol and drugs as a teenager. On the outside I looked like I had it all together, good grades, lots of extra curricular activities to look good for college; but on the inside I was a mess. I felt so alone.

There were several times that I can pinpoint that God was trying to draw me back to Him. He used Christian friends, random Christians, and nature to speak the truth that surely there was more to life than this! The chorus of a Switchfoot song has always really stuck with me from that time in my life until now: "This is your life, are you who you want to be?" I knew I was not who I wanted to be.

I had a hunger in my heart to know more about God, to see if He was really who He said He was. I had so much doubt that He cared about me or my life. I thought I was too broken, and that there was no way that God could love me. I thought I was stuck in the situation I was in and that I didn't deserve better.

At this point in time I was in college, taking art classes. A professor assigned a painting project where we were supposed to look back at our childhood traditions and beliefs. I started a painting of a peach orchard and decided to draw a girl in the middle. I started to think about church camp and the feeling I had back then of peace and knowing God loved me. I called an old friend and with her help wrote out several old camp songs throughout the sky. The truth in the words of those songs lingered in my heart.

A friend of mine started going to a church in a nearby town and invited me to go with her. I was so encouraged and knew that something was different about the people there. It became clear to me that I was not supposed to be dating my current boyfriend. After breaking up with him I went home to my mom's house and cried.

I decided to go outside and ended up walking through the peach orchard. I felt so heavy, so alone, so uncertain of my future. I'd never felt such a sense of despair. I sat down on the ground in the middle of the orchard and cried out to God. I knew that I needed Him in my life and I knew that my plan wasn't nearly as good as what He had planned for me.
Later that night I prayed to God to heal my heart and take my pain away, to take away the heartache. The next morning the heaviness I had felt was gone. I was still sad, but I knew I was meant for so much more. 

Over the next few months I continued to paint at school and went to church each week. I started growing in my relationship with God and felt that my heart was finally getting healthy.
A few months later I was asked out on a date by a guy I went to school with in high school but had never really known.  He had gotten married right after high school and then divorced. He was the father of a beautiful little girl. He was searching for who he was and who God was. As soon as we met he started going to church with me and 6 months later we were married.

Since then I finished art school and felt that I should do something that would make a difference. I remembered how hard life was as a teenager and felt like I could be an encouragement and minister to students through teaching. I taught for 3 years and then when my younger daughter was born (my oldest daughter being the beautiful little girl that I was blessed to have added to my life when I married my husband) I felt an ache in my heart to stay home with her.

That year was the most difficult year of my life because of so many situations that happened. But I agree with my pastor's wife that "God is more concerned with our character than our comfort." Because of those struggles I allowed God to carry me. I let go of what I thought I needed to do and asked God what I should do. I quit my teaching job that I loved, knowing I didn't have anything else lined up, because I knew that there was something else I was supposed to do.

Because I trusted God at that time I was offered a part time teaching job online that made it so I am able to stay home with my youngest and also to have more time to create art, which has always been my passion but I had not had time to do it while working full time and caring for a newborn. 

Over the summer while I didn't have a job lined up I decided to be proactive and start my own business. I created Kelbylee Designs to create items that I would want for myself and my family that I hoped would bring joy to others. I was so excited about the idea of making art again, but I also felt that maybe someday it could be more. I wanted to use my art to tell people about Jesus, but I wasn't sure how.

A few months later a friend of mine asked me to do a craft show with her. It was fun and I enjoyed the experience but I knew there was something else. After a lot of prayer and some very relevant messages at church I started to think of ways that I could use my business to reach people who needed Jesus. I knew that this was it. I decided to make this blog and let people know that this is the story behind Kelbylee Designs. I was so excited to finally be able to openly express what God is doing in my life! I wanted to make it clear that Jesus really does want to rescue us!


It is amazing how God has worked in my life. He has done miracles and carried me through tough times. God has blessed me with a family that I love. He has given me an understanding that although life isn't perfect and things don't always go my way He makes all things work together for my good. He wants me to know Him more, to consider Him my friend, my closest confidant, and my Abba father who loves me unconditionally.

When everything falls apart God is there. If you let go He will catch you. He will hold you and carry you. He won't let you drown.
When I am feeling blessed I am reminded of God's goodness and of His faithfulness. 


"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
~Jeremiah 29:11

I hope that my story is an encouragement to you.  I would love to hear your story of how God has rescued you, set you free, and/ or saved you! Please feel free to add your story in the comments if you would like!
 
~Kelby