Emma’s Story

I arrived in Dubai in 2015 and walked into City Lights at a time when my life felt anything but settled. I had just separated from my ex-husband and was trying to figure out who I was and what this next chapter would look like. I still remember my first week at City Lights: the warmth, the welcome, the volunteers who made me feel seen. I didn’t know it then, but that moment marked the beginning of a completely new journey for me.

Not long after, I joined a Community Group, and very quickly it became more than just a weekly gathering. These people became my friendship circle; we did life together, served together, laughed together, and supported one another through the highs and lows. That group became my safe space—a place where I could be honest, vulnerable, and held accountable. Ryan and Lauren were our leaders, and they prayed with me and for me during a season where being single in my mid-thirties felt heavy and confusing.

At that time, I was living a bit of a double life. Weekends were filled with brunches, pool parties, and drinking late into the night, followed by Friday morning church (back when church was on Fridays). On the outside, I was enjoying the freedom of singleness, but on the inside, I desperately wanted my life to look different. I longed for something meaningful, and if I was honest, I wanted to be married again—to a Christian man.

In 2018, I organised a “Galentine’s” night for some of the single women at City Lights. One of the girls who came along was already married, and she casually said something that stuck with me: “God knows the desires of your heart.” I remember thinking, What would you know? You’re married, but it unsettled me enough to send me searching. That’s when I came across the verse Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

That verse stopped me in my tracks.

I realised I had to ask myself some uncomfortable questions: Do I really delight in the Lord? Do I put Him first? Do I prioritise Him in my decisions and my lifestyle? That moment changed my perspective entirely. It changed the trajectory of my life.

I began to recognise that my relationship with alcohol wasn’t healthy. The binge drinking, followed by what I can only describe as the “booze blues” the next day, was affecting how I felt about myself—my confidence, my self-worth, and how I viewed my singleness. I had tried to moderate my drinking, doing alcohol-free months here and there, but I would always swing back the other way. Deep down, I knew something needed to change.

So I leaned in. I pushed into church more intentionally. I served more, attended extra events, and even went on a mission trip to Sri Lanka. I surrounded myself with godly people and sought God more earnestly—through His Word, through prayer, and through community.

I also came to a point where I had to surrender my desire for marriage. I realised I had idolised the idea of having a husband and a family. I remember praying very clearly: “God, if Your plan for me is to be single for the rest of my life, then change the desires of my heart so they align with Your purpose for me.” That prayer wasn’t easy, but it was honest.

Later that same year, I did a Daniel Fast. It was a season of drawing closer to God through prayer, clean eating, and avoiding alcohol. During that time, I attended a Break Free session at City Lights, and I felt God speak very clearly to me about giving up alcohol completely. So I did—no halfway measures, no exceptions. That was it. Seven years later, I can say I still don’t drink, and that decision has had a profound impact on every area of my life.

Around that same time, I met Cobus. He shared how he felt about me one weekend in November—the same weekend I received a prophetic word from Katia Adams at the Scarlet Women’s Conference that it would be “a line in the sand weekend” and that I needed to decide if I was all in. Cobus and I got married just four months later, which understandably many people thought was crazy. But we both felt a deep sense of peace and trust in God. Shortly after, we moved to the UK for two years. It wasn’t necessarily what we wanted, but we believed it was what God was asking of us. In many ways, that move made my decision to give up alcohol easier; it felt like a fresh start in a new environment.

While we were in the UK, we had Jacob. He was born almost exactly two years to the day after I started the Daniel Fast during which I gave up alcohol. I don’t believe we give to God in order to receive, but I do believe that God honours obedience. I truly believe that when I began to prioritise Him and make healthier, more aligned decisions, He was at work in ways I couldn’t yet see.

During COVID, working from home in the UK meant we could watch City Lights’ online service every Friday morning. Even from another country, we stayed connected. We continued to pray that God would make a way for us to return to Dubai and be part of City Lights again, because it had become home to us.

In January 2022, that prayer was answered through a new job opportunity. Since returning, we’ve watched City Lights grow and expand, and it’s been such a privilege to be part of what God is doing in this city. Looking back, I can see how every step—even the difficult and uncertain ones—was shaping me for the life I’m living now.

City Lights isn’t just a church I attended. It is a place where God gently and patiently transformed my heart, my priorities, and my future.

Thanks,
Emma