Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on?
Sweet Uncle Bert. I learned at his funeral that he was a World War II Purple Heart recipient. He never talked about it.
My precious Mama grew up poor, picking cotton, helping on the farm that her daddy sharecropped.
It was the end of an era, when we lost the likes of Mama and Uncle Bert. Before long, there will be no more World War II veterans with us.
The baton is being passed to my generation. I don’t feel ready to take it. I don’t have the knowledge, the wisdom, the experience that Mama or Uncle Bert had.
They had lived through wars; and they had done it with dignity and grace. No complaining. They just kept moving forward, doing what needed to be done. It was a generation who knew full well the responsibility they carried. And they were happy to carry their load, their share, their burden…for as long as it took.
Now the the baton is in my hand. I’m frozen, and can’t run with it. I don’t feel qualified to carry this baton. I don’t have the experience needed to take it and run with it. I’ve not fought world wars, or lived through depression. I have lived in the land of plenty. What am I going to do? How can I pass along the wisdom from the likes of my Mama and her generation? What can I offer to the next generation so they can run the race?
It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit!
The training I’ve had along the way has been invaluable. I’ve cast aside any excess baggage that could slow me down. I’m looking ahead to the next runner, preparing myself for the handoff, running in such a way that it will be a smooth transition.
Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
We need to run this race with a strength and dignity that speaks volumes to our teammates and the spectators. We need to look ahead to the finish line.
Do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
The baton we’re carrying – it’s ours now. We need to run the race we’ve been called to, not the race of earlier generations. But as we take the baton from them, we we need to also grab their knowledge and wisdom, and apply it to our race. Let’s add our own experiences to theirs and keep running! Don’t look back to grab the baton, just reach back. Keep your eyes facing forward.
(Scripture references from Hebrew 12:1-2 MSG, NLT, NASB)
Until next week,
Joining these lovely writers. Be sure to visit their pages, you’ll be encouraged!
Suzie Eller, Live Free Thursday
Susan at Dance with Jesus
Barbie at The Weekend Brew
Kelly at Purposeful Faith
Holly at Testimony Tuesday
Holley at Coffee for Your Heart
Jennifer at Tell His Story
Jana at Sweet to the Soul
Bonnie at Faith Barista
Ellen, my dad is a worker. He reminds me of your uncle. I think about the joy he gets from working and how each day he sees it as a new adventure. Thanks so much for being a part of #livefreeThursday.
Thanks for stopping in Suzie! Live Free Thursday always challenges me. And, I just realized I put the post together so fast I forgot to add the link ups at the bottom!
Hi Ellen! Visiting from Suzie Eller’s #livefreeThursday today 🙂 I’ve been writing an informal biography of a relative of mine who fought in World War II, and the things they endured and accomplished in that era are truly staggering. You’re so right that we need to learn from their experience and keep moving forward! Thanks for the wonderful reminder.
Katie, what a wonderful way to remember the service of your relative! Take what you learn and pass it on…even in this era of technology, we can glean valuable lessons from the generation before us. I’m so glad you stopped by!
I love this, Ellen! Keeping my eyes ahead as I run alongside you!
Thanks Crystal! We run this race as a team, encourage one another, building each other up, and sharing wisdom and knowledge. Sp glad you stopped by! #Livefree
Wow Ellen, I never thought about it this way. What an awesome responsibility we carry. What kind of legacy are we going to leave the next generation? Lord, help us to serve you with dignity and give you the honor you deserve. Thank you for this profound lesson, friend.
I’m so glad you stopped by Kristine! Thank you, my sweet friend, for your words of encouragement. We’re running this race together, so that others can see the strength and endurance we have with Christ in us!
Ellen, love how you’re encouraging us to own our baton!
Thanks you sweet Kim! We need to run the race set before us, and not compare our race to others. But we also can learn from our teammates! So glad you stopped by today!
I love your point about running the race WE are called to. It would be so easy just to do whatever my mom is called to, instead of what I am called to. Thanks and God bless 🙂
Yes, Kristin! We can’t compare our race to theirs, but we can learn from them, and also pass along our knowledge. Thanks so much for stopping by today! I appreciate your encouraging comment!
I like this: “Don’t look back, just reach back”. You’re so right, we must focus on the goal before us. We must run this race and keep our eyes facing forward! Thanks for sharing these wise words and your memories of your uncle on Weekend Brew. 🙂
So glad you stopped by Ruthie. I love The Weekend Brew! Yep, if we look back and continue to run forward, eventually we will trip up! So thankful for the race He has marked out for us.
Although we haven’t lived through the experiences of our elders, we have been given vital information from them that can be passed on to future generations. It’s encouraging to know that the race we are presently running is supposed to be different! Each of us has a race set before us and we are called to run it to the best of our ability. With God by our side, we are to face each leg of this race and when we can’t progress forward on our own, He will carry us.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! God continues to speak to us through your gift of writing 🙂
Thank you sweet friend! Always blessed by your words!
This is so good Ellen. I’ve been called to run a race, unlike anyone else. I must run with endurance, and I must carry the wisdom of the generations before me with me. I must also be willing to leave behind me wisdom to the next generation. Have a blessed week.
Hi Barbie! So glad you stopped by! So glad I was able to stop by The Weekend Brew and visit.
Ellen,
What a wise generation…your mama and Uncle Bert…and God will give us the wisdom we need as we seek Him…thank you for reminding us to keep running the race God has called us to and to keep our eyes on Jesus…Yes 🙂
So glad you stopped by Dolly! Yes, we must run our race and focus on Jesus, and the wisdom He gives.
Thank you Ellen for your beautiful words that remind me of the value of making generational connections with those who went before as well as those are coming after me.
Hi Wendy, I’m glad you stopped for a visit. Thank you for your encouraging words! I love the name of your blog, can’t wait to go over there and pull up a chair!
Ellen! I missed this last week, friend. I love this scriptures and what great encouragement to keep running the race. I’ll run beside you, trusting God to supply the wisdom I lack.
#livefree
Ps. Your words, “We’re writers!” in our Compel group have been ringing in my ears all week, Ellen! We are, indeed!
It’s a team sport, Betsy! So glad we are running together!
One of the keys is not looking back for the baton but letting the other runner pass it to us! That is profound in our spiritual race. The runner about to hand off doesn’t slow down his race and for a brief spurt they even race together after the other has received the baton. We receive it as it is placed in our hands, we don’t need to reach out and take it. May we learn to run our race well and learn to be ready to receive. Ellen, thank you for sharing some really profound thoughts with us. Your words have been a blessing to me as I think about the picture of a relay race.
Thank you Jeannie! I appreciate your thoughts and encouragement! I love what you said: We receive as it is placed in our hands.Thanks so much for stopping by!