PASS
THE BATON!

Topics: Discipleship; Generations; Growth; Guidance; Leadership; Maturity; Parenting; Practice; Teachers; Training

References: Deuteronomy 6:1–9, 20–25; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 1:5

The American women’s relay race team was favored to win the gold medal in the 4-by-100 relay race in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The team featured Marion Jones, a sprinter who had won four gold medals at the previous games in Sydney. Indeed, the American team was off to a strong start when Jones took the baton for the second leg of the race. She gained ground as she ran her 100 meters and approached Lauryn Williams, who would run the third leg.

Williams began running as Jones got close, but when she reached back to receive the baton, the women couldn’t complete the handoff. Jones thrust the baton forward three times, but each time Williams failed to grab it. Finally, on the fourth try, the runners made the connection. But by that time, they had crossed out of the twenty-yard exchange zone and were disqualified. Everyone knew they were the fastest team on the track, but because they couldn’t complete the handoff, they lost the race.

It is important for one generation to set the pace for others by living authentically, but at a certain point a handoff must be made to the next generation. That handoff isn’t as easy as it looks. It’s the result of thousands of practice runs.

—Bryan Wilkerson, “From Generation to Generation,” PreachingToday.com