Passing the Baton

This is for parents. Others are certainly welcome to read it but it is for parents. I have a question for you. I hope you will reflect deeply on this question. Here it is- Are you going to drop the baton? In Track, the relay race is not just about speed. It is about successfully passing the baton to the person that will run the next leg of the race. If it is dropped, the race is lost. There is no recovery. Zilch! It happened in the 2008 Summer Olympics games. The men’s 4x100 relay team dropped the baton as the photo shows. But back to the question -Are you going to drop the baton?
Your role as a parent is to pass on to your children a godly heritage. No, you can not make them take the Christian faith. You can not force them to take the baton of a committed Christian lifestyle. Yet, you can so run and so place it in their hands that grasping it for them is smooth and natural. How so?

You and I can not pass the baton if we are not in top shape spiritually. We have to run our leg of the race. We have to have a goal in mind and we have to go all out to get the baton of truth to our children. It requires focus. You will never see a relay runner looking off in the stands. Their focus is intense. Their resolve is firm. Their purpose is settled- completed their leg of the race and successfully get the baton in the hand of the next runner. To do this requires being in top shape. A jog cannot suffice for what calls for a sprint. Make sure you are doing all that is necessary to stay in top shape spiritually.

Are you still growing? Are you as close to the Lord today as you were in the past? Here is good, no great news- our Lord Jesus gives renewal whenever we repent and confess sin. And, even better news; unlike the 4x100 relay and the dropped baton, with God there is recovery. The race is not lost. Pick it up and by grace begin to run. God will honor any effort you make to pass on the baton of a godly heritage to your children.