Runner Girl and The Jog Blog: Sabbatical Baby

Sometimes we lose ourselves. Our true selves. The better us. And it is up to us to find our way back.

Ministry is the best life. I can still remember summer camp. Age 14. Crying my eyes out at the altar. I committed to serve Jesus with my everything…each and every day of my life. But it is not like teaching or business or computer programming or uber driving. It never stops. One’s mind never stops. You never stop caring or thinking or dreaming. Awake in the middle of the night wondering who is sick or hurt or lonely or new and finding a place to connect or questioning yourself if you’ve prayed hard enough or given enough or remembered a birthday gift or at least a card or funeral flowers or welcoming a new baby or a coffee appointment or a hospital visit and you pray you've given your very best.

As much as we fought it and talked about it and resisted and pleaded, SABBATICAL was the right thing.

Finding our way back to what God intended us to be…fully in love with Him, with one another, and our babies.

We loved each other well, worked out together (like the first time in 5 years), talked a lot, listened intently, prayed, rested, had our car stolen from our hotel in the middle of the night, found our car in a casino a week later (go figure), read books until 4am, went to church, observed, learned, unplugged, found new joy in our babies, laughed, hiked for 5 hours in the Redwoods (yay), rode trollies in San Fran, ate unbelievable fried fish from the bay and an ungodly amount of Ghirardelli chocolate and sourdough bread bowls from famous Boudin's, drove Napa Valley's gorgeous vineyards wishing we had thought ahead and scheduled a tour into the caverns, rode bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge, roller skated in an old church on disco night, won the Amazing Race on a cruise ship (Stocker 4 we are team and the medals are proof), rock climbed the fiercest walls, bartered in Mexico, made chocolate like the ancient Mayans, watched way too many movies (from the girl who never watches TV), built pinatas, ran the track on the 12th deck, took spinning classes (this hasn’t happened since Natalia was 2), enjoyed Mariachis over a Cozumel lunch, and fell in love deeper than ever before.

Thanks to each of you that came week after week and prayed and fought the urge to text and are believing for God’s very best in this next season…for this city, for a brave church, and for your pastors.

We love each of you with our everything and we urge you to stay in love with God, seek Him with all your hearts, and never lose sight of who He created you to be. My prayer is for more of Him and less of me, because honestly that’s what would make this world a better place and me the best me.