Julia & Michael Sauer
Michael and Julia Sauer (also pictured: John Michael Sauer, who arrived in September 2020)
What’s your name?
Julia, Michael, and John Michael Sauer
How do you spend your days? (family, work, hobbies)
We have been spending our days balancing working and caring for our four-and-a-half-month old son, John Michael. Michael is working remotely full-time, and Julia has started working two days a week and spending the other days with John Michael. When it’s nice outside, we love going on family walks around our neighborhood with our dog.
Julia and John Michael
What part of town do you live in?
Northside/Ginter Park
How long have you been going to City Church?
We've been attending City Church since we moved to Richmond in June 2018.
How are you attending City Church these days?
We attended in person until our son was born. Now we read the online devotions, listen to the Good Morning, City Church podcast, and are part of City Church Bible studies.
What did you expect from 2020 when it started?
We expected 2020 to be a big year for our family. In January 2020 we bought our first home, found out we were pregnant, and Julia started her final semester of graduate school. We expected lots of new beginnings, but had no idea we'd be navigating this new, exciting time during a global pandemic.
If you could describe 2020 in three words, what words would you choose?
Unprecedented… just kidding.
Unexpected, repetitive, and new
What did the events of 2020 reveal to you about yourself and about Jesus?
2020 taught us that nothing in life is certain. Things can change dramatically, and many things we take for granted can be taken away quickly. We also learned how resilient we are. Even with all the curveballs and unexpected moments of 2020, we continued moving forward and growing as individuals and as a family. 2020 also revealed even more that Jesus is the only constant thing in our life. When the world feels like chaos, Jesus is strong and mighty; when the world is full of uncertainty and doubt, Jesus remains unchanged. Our hope rests in this truth.
How have the events of 2020 pushed you to reimagine your story? How have they pushed you to reimagine your faith?
The events of 2020 have tested our faith and shown us what we put our trust in when our normal routines are thrown off. It was easy this past year to cling to comfort. It was very convenient to stay at home, work from home, and order everything online. This leads to a very stagnant life. COVID and social distancing has shown us that we need community and we need to be challenged in our faith. Convenience and comfort is not the life that Christ has called us to. Our faith grows when we are out of our comfort zone and we have to rely on Jesus.
What is your biggest hope for 2021?
Our biggest hope is that we continue to move closer to Jesus and that we live out of faith this year. While it feels like there is a lot of fear around us, we want to share the love of Christ with our neighbors by hoping in the Resurrection and trusting in the promises that God has given us. We also want to be bold in our faith and stand up for what we believe in.
John Michael Sauer: very cute