Passing the Baton

In Chapter 4 of The Book of Timothy Apostle Paul tells us he has finished the race, fought the good fight and kept the faith. In the first century he wrote that we had the Olympic and Isthmian Games. The race Paul spoke of were overcoming the struggles of life.

Today we run our own individual race but we also run relay where we are called to pass the baton to the next generation. It is a delicate task but we must complete it successfully if we are to carry on our legacy into the future.

Though the USA top the Olympic medal charts in the 4 x 100 metre Men’s Relay they failed to reach the final as they failed in the baton passing. It was the seventh time out of 11 times that this happened in the Olympic history. The baton pass takes place in a 60 foot windows and taking into account that the next runner must run that window is actually only 11 feet. In life we too must pass our baton before it is too late.

Of late I have heard of so many deaths of those known to me, not because my years have numbered but these deaths are young and old. Pause therefore to consider is it time to pass your life baton. In doing so you protect your legacy and ensure that your race is completed. Think of yourself running , think of who is ahead waiting for that exchange. Your victory in life is relationship, those that passed you the baton and those that you will pass it to. Do this before it is too late.

Now is the time to prepare. Handover is not takeover, exchange is not completion and the race is not yours alone. Don’t drop that baton , don’t fail to collect it and as Lord Putnam of Chariots of Fire fame once told me ‘ keep running ‘