The Homerun

This past week my son hit his very first over-the-fence homerun.  It was a proud moment for all of us.  He beamed as he rounded third base and all the emotions begin to sink in.  I have no doubt that he imagined himself being Albert Pujols in Busch Stadium during the quick minute or so that he was trotting around.  His dad/coach was the first to hug him as he crossed home plate.  I was shouting from the stands, "That's my boy!" as I have since he was barely bigger than his bat.  Even his sisters gave high-fives, shouts of encouragement, and big grins for their brother.  We relished in a great game and a goal finally reached long after getting home. Sweet memories. 

I love being a mom to this ten-year-old bundle of 100% boy.  He's funny and energetic and full of life.  But I must admit, he challenges me in a way that his sisters don't.  And if I'm going to be completely honest, he's my hardest to raise.  Everything about him is different from me - his thought process, his play, his humor, his motivation, his competitiveness - everything.  We often butt heads and the defiance he exhibits often leaves me feeling like the training will never take root.  I try every form of discipline I can think of.  I pray over him more than I pray for anything else at this point in my life.  Some days I feel like we make progress toward godly character, but many days I feel like I'm failing.  The very reason for the name of this blogspot is honestly because of him.  My husband reminds me that our constant discipline and training (water) will eventually lead to the qualities that we so desire in our son (rock)....even if it doesn't seem like it right now.....it may take many years, in fact. 

On that note, my son is a mini-me of my husband in almost every way.  They look alike, walk alike, sleep alike, think alike, and breathe alike.  They both love baseball....watching it and playing it.  The hours they've spent on the field together is already countless.  They are in batting cages in the winter, practicing off a tee in the basement, and constantly analyzing and evaluating and changing.....all in the hopes of getting better and, ultimately, of hitting the homerun.  They both have dreamed about the first homerun for a few years now.  When it finally happened this week, all the practice hours came to fruition.

Before the homerun, though, there were plenty of strikeouts, ground-outs, singles, doubles, triples.....overall, a ton of at-bats.  We have gotten home from games victorious and happy, and we've returned beaten and sulking.  The process of reaching a goal takes perserverance and effort and tenacity.  Many times, my son has failed at the plate.  It's not unusual for he and his dad to come home after a game and change something about the batting stance or the hand position. 

Much like becoming a good hitter in baseball, training my son in righteouness takes much practice, too.  As mentioned, our heads often butt.  For as much as I appreciate his humor and spontaneity, he has tendencies of  pride, rebellion, and defiance (like most of us).  I often make the statement that he keeps me both laughing and on my knees. Thankfully, as he continues to grow in his faith, I am beginning to see godly attributes take shape like a good swing.  As his dad and I continue to discipline him, I see the makings of a really good at-bat in his spiritual life.  Yet he still fails just like the rest of us.  He still treats his sisters with disrespect.  He still leaves jobs undone.  He is still learning the difference between good choices and bad ones.  It's constant training and practice at good habits that eventually become solid character qualities. 

Thankfully God gives us the opportunity to be on the field of life with our son everyday.  We get to see him strike out and get dirty and make big plays.  In the game of life, he's still very much a rookie....and many days I'm a horrible team manager.  Yet we are striving constantly for the homerun.  Our chief goal is to glorify God and enjoy Him.  We do our best to set our sights on Him as the trophy and make His name great.  That's the ultimate homerun.  Until he calls us home, we will continue to make the best of our time at-bat.