When my oldest child was close to graduating from high school, I panicked that time was running out to pass on the baton of faith. Then I realized that not only was she not in position to grab the baton, but we were not even running on the same track. There was nothing wrong with my desire, Christian parents are commanded to share their faith with their children. But there was also nothing wrong with my children not being ready to receive it at the same time they got their diplomas, because the Holy Spirit is the one who solidifies their faith into something that will carry them to their finish line. Which is a good thing because my brother and I are among many first generation, or skipped generation, Christians. There was no family member to hand the baton of faith to us. But the Holy Spirit is really good at it, because I came to faith in Christ without previous knowledge of the baton, or even the race. I was raised in a church where we tried to climb toward heaven on a fragile ladder of our own good deeds.
The Bible shows the line of faith through Israel, but it is not an unbroken line, especially in the time of the Judges and Kings, and some outsiders were chosen, not only to be in the race, but in the lineage of the Savior. My husband picked right up spiritually where his parents handed off, but that seems to be the exception in families, not the rule.
Now that my children are grown and two of them are parents, it is their job to teach their children about God. As grandparents we have wonderful opportunities to share Jesus with our grandgirls, but we might not be around to see that baton picked up, and that is okay. The Holy Spirit will not leave the earth when we do, and He is the One who holds out God's gift of faith until we recognize it as the only prize worth having, even when we are running on the wrong track.
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