My Favorite Thing To Be…

We have talked a lot about identity with this ministry, and I think we’ve clearly established that we all wear multiply hats throughout our lives. I’m a husband, teacher, coach, friend, son, brother, and dad. While I cherish all these things, one of my favorites is Dad.

September is a busy month around our house. Both of my son’s birthdays fall in this month, so we have two parties with two sets of buddies coming over to celebrate on two different weekends. In short, there are a lot of rowdy boys at the Johnson house this time of year. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when a pack of six or nine year old boys are firing nerf darts, eating more pizza and cake than should be humanly possible, and climbing and jumping off of everything you own.

 In these chaotic moments I always remind myself of Psalm 127: 3-5 (NIV) which says, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” Here is why I love this verse so much, and why being “Dad” is one of my favorite things to be. My quiver hasn’t always been full. My oldest son was born 9 years ago through IVF after years of miscarriage and infertility treatments. The money that payed for that treatment came from an insurance policy my own father had purchased when I was born 30 years prior. My youngest son was born as a total surprise (God showing out), and we discovered that pregnancy only when my wife had an oral tumor scare. Both those stories definitely deserve, and will receive their own blog post a later time.

The moral of the story is simple. When life gets hectic it’s easy to look at all that is going on around us and lose sight of the blessings making the noise. I’ve been fortunate to have a front row seat on multiple occasions to God’s provision. We throw the word “miracle” around pretty lightly, but there is no doubt in my mind that my two boys are exactly that. Sometimes we allow ourselves to view our blessings as burdens when life is chaotic, but I challenge myself, and you next time you’ve been hit by the one hundredth errant Nerf dart, or swept and mopped up the umpteenth spilled drink remember what it felt like to pray and wait for that little guy or gal to be born. Remember what it felt like when God answered that prayer. Remember how close you felt to Him in that moment.

When my wife is out of town, or the boys and I have gone off to the woods we’ve named ourselves “The Tres Amigos.” Life isn’t always easy, and rarely goes as planned, but I assure you I’ll take the “Tres Amigos” over and empty quiver every time!

God Bless!

Phil Johnson

Founder J23 Ministries