Welcome To The NFL

Yesterday we said all our final goodbyes and left Albuquerque. After 16 and a half years it was very emotional. The day did not go as planned. We were supposed to spend the day watching our children in their last Christmas chapel at Legacy Academy. Unfortunately, Lyla and Jackson both woke up with fevers and Lyla only got sicker as the day went on. So we decided to go ahead and leave last night and drive through the night in case Kayla or I ended up sick we would not be stranded in Albuquerque, or sick on the road. So, instead of a day watching our children do their last performances we were hurriedly packing our last things and rushing to get on the road.

I was disappointed for Lyla because she had spent so much time working on her solo and she did not get to perform it. She also did not get to say goodbye to many of her friends. When we arrived at 2 am I had to cradle my other daughter Shelby in my arms as she cried and cried because she was missing her friend Isabella.

I was heartbroken for my children, not to mention my sadness at the reality that I was leaving the family I have known for the last 16 years.

All I could think all day was something Pastor Steve would always say, “Welcome to the NFL.” This means that if you make big plays, you’ll have to take big hits. He would always say it anytime you were telling him something that had happened to you that wasn’t good, times were tough, unfair, or came out of nowhere. Partly as a joke, but partly as a reminder of the reality of what ministry and life are. Things don’t always go as planned, but you have to keep playing.

We are in the NFL now. Nothing will be easy. I’m sure there will be many more hard days. Days that will be far worse than yesterday. And then there will be days that will be what it’s all about. The good days.

Pastor Steve text me this morning to say, “Today your new season begins. There will be good moments, tough moments, and sad moments. Enjoy the journey.”

Time to make some big plays, take some big hits, and enjoy every minute of this journey. Welcome to the NFL.