My daughter and son-in-law are expecting the arrival of twins—a boy and girl—any day now. Adding to this joyful duo of babies are two siblings, both under 4 years old. For sure, the next few years are going to be crazy, busy! Just feeding, clothing, diapering, getting them all down for bed, etc. is going to take a lot of time and effort. As important it will be for their parents to take care of all these basic needs, even more important will be parenting with a greater goal…
Christians parent with one eye on eternity. Their children will live forever. This is a staggering thought…Therefore, the Christian does not parent for this life only. The believing parent labors to prepare each child for the day of judgment. The stakes are inexpressibly high…
Christian parents have one goal during this short window of opportunity. It is to transfer the baton of faith in Christ to the next generation. Victory does not always go to the fastest four-hundred-meter relay team. It goes to the team that most efficiently transfers the baton. No matter how fast the runners, if the transfer is slow and clumsy, the team will probably lose. In the same way, parents prepare their children for the day of judgment by transferring their faith, values, purposes, self-discipline, and motivations to their children.
(William P. Farley, God-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting, ©2009, page 41)
Parents: Have you carefully considered how you will transfer the baton of faith to your children in a way that is authentic, appealing, engaging, and persistent? Here is one resource that provides great instruction for parenting: God-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting Grandparents: How are you helping and assisting your children in this great and difficult endeavor? What is one thing you could do this summer to help nurture the faith of your grandchildren? Church leaders: Are you coming alongside parents to equip, train, assist, and encourage them in their parenting? Do the parents of your church feel loved and supported, or is it assumed that parents need to “figure it out on their own”? What is one thing your church could do to assist parents in passing the baton of faith on to their children?(Image courtesy of chrisroll at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)
