Passing the Baton of Faith

In the 2019 Track and Field World Championships, the 4X100 relay team from China was poised to medal in the event. However, the pass from the third runner to the anchor was so bad that it has now become known as the worst baton pass in history. Click here to watch.

While it is painful to witness a terrible baton pass in a track meet, how much more painful is it to see Christian parents fail to pass the baton of faith to their children? The Bible is full of examples of this: Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, was an evil man. Samuel had sons who did not follow the Lord. King Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, completely rejected God.

So, how do we avoid this and pass on our faith successfully? Deuteronomy 6:4-7 gives us some direction. It says, “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

The Bible says that we as parents are to impress God’s truth on our children. This underscores the importance of a Christian school education, as well as the spiritual training that parents do in the home. It is interesting that this passage assumes that we are going to be around our children a lot. When we are around our kids, we can speak God’s truth into their lives, and they have a front row seat to see how a Christ follower (us) should live and react. Remember, each small prayer, each mention of scripture, each correction of behavior is making an eternal impact. May God do the rest and allow our kids to successfully walk with Him for a lifetime.

David Landis, Superintendent