May 16, 2022
Kimberly Hobbs
Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. And I'm your host,
Kimberly Hobbs. I'm the founder of Women world leaders. And we are
so glad you decided to join us today, I would love to welcome our
guest speaker today, which is Mary Smith. Mary is from Daphne,
Alabama. Hi, Mary.
Mary Smit
Hi, ladies. I'm so happy and just blessed to be here with you
guys.
Kimberly Hobbs
Yay! And we're blessed to have you. So today, ladies on this
podcast interview, it's our desire to share with you encouragement,
stories, and empowerment that will help you to walk into your God
given purpose, and dream and think about the things that God has
planned for you. He says in Ephesians 210, that we are God's
masterpiece. We are created in new and Christ Jesus to do the
things that he planned for us long ago. And Philippians 213 says
God is working in you. And he's giving you the desire and the power
to do what pleases Him. We are just so excited about that, because
it's something to be excited about that the God of the universe
wants to use us to do the work that he has called us to do. And
that's a privilege and honor, and it's a privilege and honor to be
here with you. Ladies, I also want to share that every Monday,
Wednesday and Friday. Women world leaders brings podcast
interviews, not interviews, but we have walking in the word on
Wednesday with Julie Jenkins. And we also have journey into joy
every Friday with Carrie Christopher. So please join us on those
days as well and be blessed. So today a little bit about Mary. Mary
is a professional makeup artist. She's a hair stylist wardrobe and
set designer as well. And she has worked in over 30 feature films,
including mom's night out the War Room, like arrows, and even over
calmer. She has been in faith based industry for 15 years. And she
believes in helping raise up the next generation to further the
gospel. I think that's awesome. And we get to see the end result of
movies. But Mary gets to live through the making of these movies,
and being on location and working with actors and actresses and
these faith based films. Mary, I know you've seen a lot of things.
So you've seen spiritual battles. You've seen miracles take place,
and many astounding things that are happening on the set of these
movies. So let's start here with possibly maybe sharing a story
about some of the astounding things that have taken place, maybe
one that sticks out in your mind. And you are sharing with me about
beauty and brokenness and how that just draws you to to talk about
some of these things. Maybe can you share that mixed in this god
story that you're going to share with us today?
Mary Smit
Yes, I think it's very appropriate, especially today. I mean, 2020
has just been so hard on so many people. And I think there's a lot
of brokenness out in the world. And I was sharing with you earlier
that it's something that's kind of been on my mind more than just
this year, but this year has been exceptionally hard for me.
There's been a lot of brokenness in my life, which I'm sure a lot
of ladies can relate to that. There is a beauty and brokenness.
I've always kind of been gravitated toward the broken things in
this world, whether it's photography and pictures of things that
are not perfect, that are broken. Just stories from people that I
gravitate toward that are doing, you know great things for God that
have these ministries and different things that I you know, I'm
interested in, when you get to talk to those people. There is
usually some brokenness that has occurred in their life that has
brought them to that place of ministry. It's it's all scripture,
how God uses broken people. You don't read Scripture and see these
perfect lives, you see broken people. And even Jesus was broken on
the cross for us, God's most precious, perfect son was broken. And
he was broken so that we could have lived. So I think God has a
value that he places in brokenness. And just as something that I
read recently, and maybe even popped up on some of you guys,
Facebook feeds and things, but there's a Japanese art form, and I
don't dare try to pronounce it and just blow that. But it takes
broken pottery, it's been around for centuries. And the way that
they do, they don't throw away this brokenness, God doesn't throw
us away in our brokenness. But they take the pieces, and they take
gold. And they put these pieces back together. And it forms this
beautiful, beautiful piece of art, where it's more beautiful than
it was before it was broken. And just like the Scripture, you read,
where we are God's masterpiece, that's what he's doing in our
lives. He's taking our broken pieces, and he's putting them back
together. And he's delicately lovingly doing that, because he's the
potter and we're the clay. And we are getting those, those pieces
put back together so that we're usable in his kingdom. And we come
out on the other side more beautiful than we started. And I think
that attracts people to his people are not attracted to somebody
who's perfect. People are not attracted to those, hey, I'm great
and wonderful and all things is that, you know, what are people
attracted to? They're attracted to authenticity, they're attracted
to you. They're attracted to transparency. You know, we live in a
hurting in a broken world, and they are looking saying, Hey, I'm
hurting, I'm broken. How do you do this? Well, we do this through
Jesus, Jesus, He is our resource he is our mentor. A repair of the
breach is what one scripture says that I read this morning, he is
the one that we look to. He is the one that lifts us up. So that
is, that's what has been on my mind lately. And I think a lot of
people too, but just 2020 and moving forward into 2021. With our
brokenness, I think we need to look to Jesus, and we need to move
forward. Take that with us and use that for the Kingdom.
Kimberly Hobbs
Amen. Amen. Mary, and God says, Behold, I will make all things new.
And that when you have a broken life, you know, praise God, that
he's there for you. And he will take you from that brokenness and
make all things new.
Mary Smit
Yes, so never leaves us he never forsake. And you'd ask me for just
an example of some cool things I've seen on set there. There are
numerous, numerous, but I know we're short on time, I've tried to
just like make little blurbs. But I can't really say the country
that I was working in, because the gospel is not allowed in that
country. Okay. And we were there. And basically teaching believers
under the radar how to do film how to do the craft, so that they in
turn, could turn around and share the gospel within their own
countries, whether it be with their iPhones, they make film or
whatever they do, but they could do what we cannot, they can share
the gospel there where we cannot go. And so I was in country doing
this. And we were threatened with rain on multiple days. We didn't
know it when we got there. But it was the rainy season. And every
day, you could see walls of rain around us. And we would pray and
ask God to hold back the rain. And it was like we had these pockets
of sunshine little like, like if you took a circle and just kind of
cut it out. And when we film, and literally the moment, we would
get all the gear on the buses and we'd load everything in, then the
rain would start. And it was like this daily thing. And then we had
one day where we were praying to hold the rain. And God didn't hold
the rain. And we're like, what is up with this? God, you felt the
rain the whole time. And all of a sudden, we cannot film this day.
We have to make an entire day of filming up which, you know, we
can't stay later in country. There's no way to do these things. It
presented a problem because it made the only day we could film on
Sunday. So that's an issue because in that country, you know, you
can't really explain sometimes with language barriers and things of
why the necessity would be there. And this is the day for church.
This is the day that you have all of that. So we came up with a
plan that we would have church on site. We invited several
churches, it was a day that we had to have extras, and we would do
church right there. And we would film and they would be our extras
but we would hold services right there on set. So that's what we
did. And in the process of doing that because we did that we had
had some extras that came that weren't parts of those local
churches. One of those ladies had we not done what we did have we
filmed the original day would not have been there. This lady got
saved. Oh, wow, that's it never been in a church. So for her to
then it was like this perfect orchestration to get her there to
hear the gospel, that and I was like, Lord, now we know now we know
why you didn't hold the rain. Because one person is so important.
It's just so important to Jesus. You know, we have the stories of,
you know, the lost lamb, you know, and like, leaving the nine for
the one. And obviously, it just really illustrated to me how God
loves each and every one of us, He sees us, we're not forgotten.
He, He loves us, and he searches for each person. And he did that
for that one beautiful lady.
Kimberly Hobbs
That is so precious. And thank you for sharing that story. And that
is our God. That is how much he loves. Each of you, ladies, no
matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter what you
have done. God loves you, and He will seek you out and find you.
And he that same story. I mean, that can happen to any one of us.
Yeah, that, that God of our galaxies loves us.
Mary Smit
Yeah, so one names is the God who sees that is one of his names he
sees you never think you're forgotten. Never think that you're
alone. He sees you. He knows right where you are. And he loves you,
just as you are.
Kimberly Hobbs
Yes, that is so important, too. Amen. Thank you, Mary, for sharing
that. And, and as you're sharing this, you know what God saw you
right where you were in your life. And he singled you out and chose
you to do what you are doing now working in faith based films,
working on the sets with all of these amazing people around the
world? How did he lead you into this industry? Can you share that
with us?
Mary Smit
Well, it's kind of an interesting, interesting story there. To
start with that preface it with this, I felt a calling in my young
married life to be a missionary that my husband did not. So I'm
like, Okay, God, how does this work? Because normally you call
both. So it was it did not make sense to me. And I really just kind
of, you know, had that hovering within me for quite a while I would
do short term missions, things like that. But I couldn't quite
grasp, you know how how this calling would work itself out? Well,
then I was living in Albany, Georgia, a lot of people are familiar
with the Kendrick Brothers that Did you know, overcome or war room
fireproof courageous Facing the Giants, all of those. Alright,
maybe I was going to go into that church when they started. And I
didn't even know about the first one. It kind of went under the
radar flywheel. Nobody really knew about that one. But once Facing
the Giants kind of hit, I volunteered just to help out. So I was
helping out in the makeup area, I apprenticed under a professional
makeup artist, curry Bushnell, who was there. And by the time
fireproof rolled around, he thought I was pretty good and said,
Hey, you're gonna be killing this. And I was like, what does that
mean? I didn't even know what the term meant, which meant I was him
until he could get on set. I was in charge, basically, you know,
had no clue even what I was even doing. But God trained me through
all of this. And every it just doors kept opening doors kept
opening, I kept stepping through doors, and I kind of ended up
here. So it's kind of funny in a way, but I was going to a church
after we moved to Alabama, and the pastor that was there. I told
him, Hey, I'm fixing to be gone for you know, about six weeks
didn't want you to think I'd quit the church. But you know, I'm
going to a movie set and he goes, Godspeed missionary. And I said,
Wait, what? I said, You're a missionary. And I was like, that is
very interesting that you tell me why you're saying that. And he
said, Well, you're going out and you're telling the gospel through
film, aren't you? And I said, Yes, I am. And all of a sudden my
brain was click, click, click, you know, because I felt that call
to missions, didn't understand how that panned out. And I thought,
wow, okay, I am a missionary, you know, and that's what I'm doing.
So he literally said this, what you're doing, you're sharing the
gospel through what you do. You're a missionary.
Kimberly Hobbs
One of the questions I was going to ask you is how did you hear
God's voice and kind of you just revealed That is, you know,
because ladies, we can go through our life every day wondering, oh,
how is going to God gonna use me? And you know, what is it going to
say? Is it going to drop something just right on top of my head so
I can notice that he's calling me. And so I wanted you to expound
on that a little bit about how did you hear God's voice so that you
knew he specifically called you to this role? I mean, because it's
a calling what you are doing?
Mary Smit
Yeah, it is a calling. And I think too, that we make callings out
to be something almost elusive at times, like we I just want to
know what my calling is. I just want to know, what the will of God
is for my life. I think sometimes we overcomplicate it. I think if
we simply do the next thing, you know, where's God opening doors?
Where is God working? How can we join him in what he is already
doing? Or maybe something is in your world that you're seeing God's
moving in this? Well? How can you join him in that? How can you you
know, assist him in that, you know, just it's the little steps. And
I think if you're seeking God, and you're praying, and you're
asking, God, Hey, show me, and you're doing those things, doors
open, and all of a sudden, you realize, hey, this is this is it?
You know, look what God is doing? Look where he is placed me,
There's a scripture, everybody wants to ask a lot, because I get
asked a lot. You know, what is your life first? What is your life?
And I don't really know so much that I have a life verse. But
there's one that I've always kind of gone back to when I'm asked
that, because it just makes sense for me. And it is Second Samuel
718. It's who who am I, oh, Sovereign Lord. And what is my family
that you have brought me this far? And I think that pretty much
sums it up. Because if I had to say, How did I get here, I really
don't know. Other thing is literally little doors, little doors,
little doors, little doors, and I just keep going through the
little doors. However that may be, and I ended up here. So I just
think we make it harder than what it truly is. And that if we're
just obedient in the little things, if we just take those little
baby steps, that, you know, God takes you where he wants to take
you. And I don't think you have to even get stuck in like, this is
my specific itty bitty calling here. Because God can branch that
out and move that he controls it. We don't. So don't even get stuck
in this little bitty whatever. Because I started out makeup, I got
thrown into doing a little hair, I went into wardrobe. It's like
this moving of things, you know, and I do some acting too. So it's,
it's like this ever evolving thing at every part of it is still
furthering the gospel, every part of it even. I recently worked on
a set that was not faith based. And I really pray over everything I
do. So God told me to do this particular one, and I could not for
the life of me understand why I was feeling go do this. Because I'm
like, I don't know about this. But then I got on that set. And I
ran across other believers and some young ones that just they
needed some support. They needed some guidance, they needed some
help as to how to even get into doing what we do and faith based
world. And I expressed to them I didn't know how I ended up in this
thing, you know, and stuff and he and they said, You're here for
us. I know why you're here. You're here for us. And God can use you
wherever he places you need to pray and you need to be obedient and
those other things kind of shake out on their own.
Kimberly Hobbs
You said two key words there right there which is praying, ladies
pray pray every day you know God, how are you going to use me in
whatever situation you are in your life right now ladies you and
like Mary just said you're walking in obedience. If you're walking
in obedience with a prayerful heart, God is going to lead you right
into what he will have you to do in that moment of promise. He will
and you will, you will start to see it because you're going to have
that prayerful heart and you're going to be focused on it. You're
going to be walking in obedience to what His Word says and you're
going to know it. It's so amazing. So I want to lead in into a
verse that I felt very strongly to share that this world is fading
away along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does
what pleases God will live forever. That's first on to 17 and
ladies, we need to dream with God in another verses Ecclesiastes
six nine. Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't
have. Just dreaming about nice things. beans is meaningless, like
chasing the wind. That's what the Bible says. So do what you're
doing right now, just like Mary said, and dream with God go after
the dream that God put in your heart. And if you don't feel like
you know what that dream is, ask God about it. And I've asked Mary,
if she could just share some words of encouragement, empowerment,
about listening to that voice of God to find what your purpose is.
And because we know that God has one just for you, so Mary, let's
encourage these women that are listening, how they can just right
where they are, start doing what God has called them to do.
Mary Smit
Well, I just said, it popped into my head while you were talking.
And I was thinking, you know, it's the little things we as women,
sometimes we try to think, you know, oh, I need to do these big
world changer kind of deals. When, you know, sometimes the world
changing things are little, they're tiny. Maybe you're a mom right
now, and you've got littles? Well, you're not going to go out and
do what I do every day, because you've got those littles. But think
about it this way. What about Billy Graham's mom? What was she
doing? You know? Yeah, she was pouring into him, she was pouring
into the other kids never take the little what we consider as women
sometimes as being little, never take it that way. Because you
don't know the impact for the kingdom that you're having. While
you're washing those dishes, while you're assisting your husband,
while you're, you know, taking care of those babies and changing
those diapers. Whether you're single, and you're serving in a
ministry at the church, whether you're in a secular type job and
the people around you, you know, that you're interacting with. You
don't know what those God moments are in the impact that those
little tiny events happen to have those ripple effects. So that is
my encouragement to you is to live every moment, seek God's face by
praying, ask him to feel you ask him to give you opportunities to
share with others every day, he will honor that prayer because that
is his will. So ask for those opportunities. And when they come,
you know, you don't have to know all the answers just speak from
your heart. And sometimes just telling somebody and listening to
them. So you know, what, can I pray for you? Or I'm going to pray
for it? What if they won't let you pray for them? Then pray for
them on your own. Either way, you know, but I'm just saying, it's
those little things and you see God and you do and a little and
you'd be surprised what those little things turn into.
Kimberly Hobbs
Right. Amen. Wow, that is such a great word. Oh my goodness. Ask
and you will find and seek and you will find knock and the door
will be open to you. It God is there for us ladies, he is all
around us. He is He never leaves or forsakes us. So whenever you
have that thought, you know just go to him and say Lord, what am I
supposed to be doing in this moment? Like Mary said, when you're
feeling like you're you're worthless, you know that my life can't
be like her life can be God doesn't want want it to be. He has your
life planned out for you, precious woman of God, exactly. For you.
And so just ask him what is that Lord? And what can you do in that
moment, praying with God to find joy in that moment in serving Him,
be obedient to what He has called you to do now, and before you
know it, if you are obedient, step by step you're gonna walk right
into your beautiful purpose. God will lead you right there. Oh,
Mary, I am so thrilled just to share this time with you and just
develop this new friendship that we have Mary is part of women
world leaders, and we are so excited that she is going to be in and
out and helping and working in different areas upcoming so Mary Is
there any way that women can follow you? Do you have a
Mary Smit
I'm on Facebook Instagram, but my name is spelled Mary like Merry
Christmas on Instagram because apparently someone had my name. So
you know, I'm out there and you can track me down and find me I'm
not that difficult to find. But yeah, they can follow me on those
and I guess eventually I probably need to set up something
official. It's one of those things that I'm just like, you know, it
hasn't been on my radar. I'm just just me. But yeah, they can track
me and follow me there.
Kimberly Hobbs
Awesome. Thank you. I didn't mean to put you on the spot there but
again, are just You're such a delight and so interesting, and we're
just so grateful to have you and women were a leaders as well. out
and grateful that God brought our paths together to connect. And
thank you so much for sharing with the women, your heart. And
ladies, I hope this encouraged you and inspired you and just gave
you that, those little nuggets, whatever it is that God was
speaking right to your heart during Mary talking. So thank you,
Mary. So in closing, Lindsay, yes, thank you so much. In closing, I
would just like to remind you that you can tune in each Monday,
Wednesday and Friday for the podcast. Also, starting in January of
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