The First Uniform

When Was It Written
There's nothing quite like getting your first real uniform, whether it's for football or baseball or some other activity. That's what I thought until I had a son and I watched him get his first uniform. Now I know there's nothing like watching your son get his first real uniform - what color is it going to be? what number will I have?  This is article is all about watching my son's excitement at getting his first uniform.

Who Wrote It
Kevin Wood, Pastor


THE FIRST UNIFORM
Friday night was a night of “firsts”. The first game. The first at-bat and hit. The first sprint from first to second to third and home. The first run. But perhaps the proudest moment of my son Graham’s first t-ball game was the moment his coach handed him his first uniform, a kelly green t-shirt with the name “WOOD” and the number “3” on the back. The front of it read “MAIL MANAGERS”, the name of the team sponsor. It wasn’t exactly as exciting as it would have been had it read “Yankees” or “Cardinals”, but the bold, block letters still identified the two-dollar t-shirt as a bonafide uniform. Graham couldn’t put it on quick enough. He had dreamed of this moment for weeks, asking me daily, “When do I get my jersey?” You could hear in his voice that deep desire inside all of us to belong to a team. Up until this point Graham could say he was on the team. But the uniform proved he belonged.

I told Graham the legacy of the #3 uniform in baseball. It was the number worn by Dale Murphy, the Atlanta Braves outfielder from the 80s and 90s, a great player and even greater person, even if he was a Brave. I once sat on the bumper of his red Volvo station wagon waiting for his autograph after a game. Most significantly, the #3 was worn by the Sultan of Swat himself, Babe Ruth, arguably the greatest player of all time. Graham’s uniform stood in line with some of the game’s greats. His uniform would be worn with pride regardless of the number, but the legacy of #3 made it all the better.

But watching Graham’s joy in wearing his first uniform told me more about him as a person than it did as a player. Seeing my son’s excitement at donning the green jersey showed me how much his little heart longs to belong to a team. I recognized it easily because it is in my own heart, too. I want to be on a team. The other way to say this is simply, “I don’t want to be left out and alone.” It is a deeply rooted truth in Graham’s life, my life, and if you’re being honest as you read this, your own life as well. All of us long to belong. It’s a part of being human. No one grows up saying I want to live a life of utter isolation. And if you have ever lived in isolation, or if you’re living there right now, you know what I mean. There is a deep desire in every person to belong to a group, a team, a family. We all want that uniform that says “we belong”.

The other thing I learned about my son is that he is really a good ballplayer. Both of his hits in Friday’s game sailed over the infielders’ heads, causing the players on the other team to sprint toward centerfield in chase of the ball. But in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter. He could’ve swung and missed every time up to bat, and I still would have been proud. My pride wasn’t based on his performance. My pride was based on our relationship. And that’s the second lesson I learned about belonging. My joy doesn’t rise and fall with Graham’s ability to hit, run, catch or throw. My joy simply rests in the fact that he is my son, and in him I am well pleased. It makes me think of Jesus almost, at his baptism, the day he put on the uniform of deity in a public manner for the first time. Jesus said in that moment, “I belong to God”, and a voice came down from heaven saying, “He belongs to me”. That’s what I felt Friday night - #3 belongs to me.

On The Team Together,



Kevin