Passing the Baton

  

One of our daughters runs relays for the high school track team.  An important aspect of the relay race is handing off the baton.  All the runner has to do is hand a little 12” metal stick to the next person on the track.   How hard can that be?  In reality, If runners only run, never thinking of passing the baton on to someone else, they could be set up for a major mistake.  They could lose seconds because of an inefficient hand-off, but, if they drop it, they are disqualified from the race.  The  goal is to run full speed and time it so the next runner can just grab it and go.  The shorter the race, the more critical the hand-off.  In world class races, the runners do blind hand-offs and don’t even use sound cues because of the loud crowds.  It becomes like a math equation,  based on speed, steps and distance in the pass zone.   

No matter how fast anyone is on the track, the race is over for them if they drop the stick.

In the 1998 Olympics, both men's and women's 4 x 100M relays dropped the baton at the final exchange.   Britain's team is famously known for baton errors, being plagued by the stick in three of the last four Olympics and a World Championship.  If it weren't for that little stick, those relay team members would have probably won Olympic medals. 

Passing the baton is critical to the race.  It cannot be overlooked.

Tyson Gay and Darvis Batton, 2008 Olympics

As our daughters get older, I am starting to feel the brevity of our time with them. The average life span is around 80 years.  This means our children are under our roof for only the first leg of the race, 1/4 of their life.  It is our job to send them out and pass the baton so that they can continue to run the race of faith. 

Some of you may feel like you are in a good stride, your race is going well, and you do not need adjustments.  If that is you, please come along side other parents and encourage them and be witnesses that it can be done. 

But, some feel like you have already dropped the baton and been disqualified from the race. You may be frustrated, beaten up, confused and discouraged.  Please realize that sometimes the most learning and faith building comes through these tough times.

If you feel like you have dropped the baton, just go back and get it and start over.  As long as you are their parent, it is not too late to repent, make adjustments, and get back on the track again.  God honors broken and contrite spirits (Psalm 51) and that would be the best place to start again.   

In reference to parenting and talking to teens, Joe White, Director of Kanakuk Kamps, says:

"It's never too late to start, and it's always too soon to quit!"

Get in the race and realize that your time with them is short!  If you aren't actively working to pass the baton of faith, there is a big probability it won't be passed.  The world is not going pass it to them.  The most authentic place for faith to be genuine and lived out, is in our homes.  At times, we will fail.  At times, we will be lazy and begin to look like the world inside of our homes.  But, we cannot stay there!  We must be proactive and show our children that it can be done.  We can be the witnesses to our own family!  If you have messed it up, then start again.  Go to your children and apologize to them, model humility.  Tell them that is important and that you are going to be deliberate again.  No more half-hearted parenting.....half-hearted parents are in danger of dropping the baton.     

"Half-hearted Christians are of little threat to Satan because they are of little benefit to Christ"  John MacArthur

As we pass the baton to our children, we need to remember to: 

Be Intentional

Have a goal, know where you want to go and take steps to get there.  Let your children see you read and talk about the Bible.  Bring God into the daily conversations and talk about how He works in your life.  Go to church, worship and pray together.  Put them in places where they can be mentored and taught by other faithful Christians.  Model the fruits of the Spirit and servanthood. Challenge them to choose the Spirit over flesh when they make decisions, and let them know that you are trying to do this daily, too.  Be aware of what comes into your house through the media and computer.  Don't be afraid to stand up for what you want your family to be.  Living in an intentional home can produce courage and security.

I don't know who originally said this, but the other day, a friend posted this quote:

 

 

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."  Deuteronomy 6:4-9

 

Be Faithful

The most important thing that you can do for your family, is to keep growing in YOUR faith.  Be most concerned about your relationship with God.  If your first priority is to keep growing more like Christ, this will affect how you act around others.  When you please Christ and bring glory to God in all that you do, you will be a better spouse and parent. Your children will see this and it will be attractive to them.  Do not just try to look good, learn to grown in Christ and teach them to do the same.  A good goal is to look more like Christ this time next year than you do today.  Keep growing in knowledge and faith!

Be Real

Hypocrites repulse, confuse and frustrate people.  For your family, you need to be real.  If you talk the talk, but don't walk the walk, no one will respect you.  People follow people they respect.  Your children are no different.  If you are not who you say you are or who they are expecting you to be, they will see right through you.   The last thing we want to do is raise people who are more concerned with how they look on the outside, than how they really are inside.  It's okay to be vulnerable with your children.  Let them see that you are not perfect and that through your struggles you have learned to lean on God.  When we model humility, we show our children that our reliance is on God and we realize our limitations.  If you do not admit that you need God, why would you ever expect them to realize that they need Him?

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."   2 Timothy 3:1-5

Do not be a parent that appears to be godly, but denies God's power.  Kids recognize hypocrites better than anyone.  And, remember, they have a front row view to you.

Be Gracious

 

Give your children the same grace that you have been given.  Remember that their little worlds can be full of stress and home should be a safe place. Be kind when you speak to them, do not be sarcastic or demeaning.  Be gentle, share the truth in love and season all discipline with grace and mercy.   Allow them to fall and learn.  It is better to have erred and learned grace, than to only be concerned with looking perfect on the outside.     
 

 

Our goal is to pass the baton to them and let them run ahead, faithful and godly.  As time ticks down and they are preparing to run on, let's be intentional, faithful, real and gracious.  Ask God to show you how to do this and trust Him to work through you.  He cares about your children even more than you.  In the end, we will stand before God and give an account for how we parented our children.  We will be the one's held accountable.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Remember....to pass the baton, you actually have to be in the race....are you?