When I have the time I love to play with my son. Last week we hung out in the backyard, as we often do, and he discovered a long dried out reed that makes for a long, light, and yet surprisingly durable pole. Since this discovery, we've played a little "baseball" with it and a little tug-o-war, but his favorite thing to do is what he's doing with it here in this picture, kind of twirling it like a baton, like a band drum major.
My Dad was the drum major of his high school band and when he went to OSU he was a cheerleader - he got to catch all the girls. :) I like to use batons, too - conductors' batons. My son waves his arms like a conductor when he hears certain music - especially an instrumental version of the Star-Spangled Banner. On days when the kitchen radio is on at noon Christina gets to observe this. I guess in many ways, the nut doesn't fall far from the tree.
As I saw my son play with his "baton" I thought of the kind of baton one passes to another in a relay, and began to think about what I'm passing on to my son. What do I want to pass on to him? What do I not want to pass on to him?
That's easier to identify, I think... I do not want to pass on to him my own stupidity, my own insensitivities, my ability to do things the hard way, always.
I thought about Moses and Joshua and Elijah and Elisha. What would have happened if Joshua had become obsessed with Moses' staff and not Moses' mission? What if Elisha wanted Elijah's mannerisms instead of a double portion of the Spirit that rested upon Elijah?
I don't want to pass on my preferences and style - my penchants and idiosyncrasies... that doesn't mean I smile when he or his sisters do stuff like I do. But I sometimes grimace for the same reason.
No, I don't necessarily want to pass on a physical or temporal baton to any of my children. Instead, what I want to pass on is the power of God which I desire to be at work in my life as well as theirs. I want to pass on the mission I should be on: seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness, pressing on to know the Lord and allow His reflection to be seen in me.
More than style, more than perfect conducting patterns or a sport or a family tradition - I want my son and daughters to know and love my Lord and experience His power and grace in their lives. May it be so.
