Remember this classic scene from the movie, “Mr. Mom”?
Jack Butler, played by Michael Keaton is an engineer with the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan who has been laid off from his job. His wife, Caroline, played by Terri Garr finds full time employment with an ad agency which means Jack has just become, “Mr. Mom.”
Jack finds that managing the household, full of three kids is much more difficult than he originally thought. I love the scene depicted above where Jack has found yet another useful way to use the hand blower!
Yesterday, I experienced my first stint as a Volleyball coach for my daughter’s YMCA volleyball team which consists of eight young girls whose ages span 2nd through 4th grade.
After the match (which we won!!!) Julie and I were visiting with the mother of a girl that our daughter Faith has recently befriended. The two moms were exchanging phone numbers and we began talking about how long we had been in Houston. The other mother looked at me and politely asked, “What do you do?”
I should have been better prepared for the question. I found myself hesitating, sweat beading on my forehead, eyes shifting to Julie and then back to the other mother until I finally blurted out, “I’m Mr. Mom.”
Seeing God At Work Everyday
Why is that we, as men especially, find our identity in what we “do” professionally?
At the present time I am waiting, discerning, looking, waiting, praying, did I mention “waiting” to find a position back in the local church as a full time pastor.
And yet, when I am politely asked, “What do you do?” my first response is to offer an answer that is tied to the title of a cute comedy movie that hit the theaters over thirty-one years ago.
What do I do?
I pray…
I read…
I fill and empty the dishwasher…
I make sure that I am at the bus stop at 3:25 pm everyday to make sure that my children have a safe escort home…
I provide snacks…
I am an expert elementary word speller…
I used to be an expert in math problems until the “common core” math came out…
I do a blog…
I am writing a book…
I guess I do a lot of things but for some reason my identity in who I believe I am is not found in the above list.
Why is that?
How thankful I am that God does not identify me by what I do or by what I don’t do.
God identifies us with three simple words…
Children of God!
See what great love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!
(1 John 3. 1)
Perhaps I will be better prepared next time the question comes up…
How about you?
What do you do?
SeeingGodAtWorkEveryday…
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!