During our recent trip, we often had occasion to go out and explore the areas surrounding our hotels. Usually, after dinner, a group of us would head out for a Cola Light run. The night we found ourselves in Izmir, Turkey was no exception.

This was the first night we were staying in Turkey (our first few days had been in Greece). As it was my first night in a self-identified Muslim country, I was a little apprehensive. Still, I made my way out for the nightly Cola Light ritual with my husband and three other gospel preachers (BJ Clarke, Dan Cates, and Garland Robinson).

As we were walking the busy streets of Izmir, one of the guys noticed something peculiar about our configuration. He said, “Emily, people will think you’re a celebrity with the way you’ve got four men surrounding you.” And sure enough, there I was in the center as one man walked ahead of me to the left, another ahead and to the right, and the other two slightly behind, also flanking me on the left and right sides. Not to mention, we’re all tourists and so each of the men look like they are checking my perimeter. To say I felt safe and secure in that instant would be quite an understatement.

As I was later reflecting on the incident, I couldn’t help but thank God for His design of the church and the family. You see, without God’s design for the body (the church), these men may not have cared much about me or my well-being. They might have consumed themselves with whatever they wanted. I should mention here that I’d never even met two of these men prior to our trip, and had only been introduced to the other. Yet God’s design of the church is seen beautifully in this moment. By design, each member of the church edifies, encourages, and protects other members. Why did these men that I’d known a little less than a week take the time to befriend and protect me? Because they weren’t just strangers or acquaintances or friends, they were my brothers.

Along those lines, I am so thankful for God’s family design. You see, He commands men to honor, cherish, love and defend their wives. If I weren’t married to such a godly man, he might not have made sure I was safe at every single moment. He might have consumed himself with picture taking, or walking in a direction he wanted to go. He may have sped off ahead of me, seeing that my 5’4” stride is nothing to his 6’1”. He may have made anything and everything else a priority, instead of holding my hand and keeping me close. Yet, my wonderful, Christ-like husband did just that. He protected me and kept me close and loved me more than he loved himself, just as the family design is supposed to be.

I will forever cherish the memories I made on this trip. I will forever love the people that I traveled with. I am so, so thankful for God’s promises and scheme of redemption, which assure me that I can enjoy fellowship with these amazing brothers in Christ forevermore.