Passing on the Main Thing
Paul made it to Rome and was in prison there for a little over two years. During that time he wrote letters to churches he planted on his journeys, and by so doing, ended up authoring a large part of the New Testament. Talk about keeping the main thing the main thing! Paul also wrote to the church in Rome before he went to Rome in person and this letter is the book of Romans.
“You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.”
Romans 2:3-4 MSG
Paul is instructing the Romans that God is looking for surgically changed hearts evidenced by radically changed lives. Doers, not talkers. People whose whole lives are driven by the love of God. People whose words and actions point to His goodness and mercy. People who keep the main thing, the main thing.
In the recent 2022 World Athletics Championships, the Jamaican Sprint Team was favored to win the 4 x 100 relay. The U.S. team upset the favorites with an amazing start and three flawless baton exchanges.
The flawless exchange doesn’t just happen in the race moment. It happens because they made that exchange over and over and over at practice. Making the exchange, dropping the baton. Making the exchange, adjusting the speed. Making the exchange, again and again and again. Why? Because if the relay runners waited until it was race time, it would be too late to work on the exchange. And you cannot finish a relay race without successful passing of the baton.
That’s what Relay Exchange provides for mothers and daughters: intentional time for practicing the exchange, little by little, over a period of years, so that when it is time to send the next runner off, they firmly take the baton of faith with them. And with Relay Exchange, you are practicing alongside other moms, and your daughter is practicing alongside peers, in an environment that is supportive and engaging and fun. The lessons are designed to encourage not just an increase in information, but also a change in habits, in thinking patterns, in daily living. The goal is for the truth to become part of who they are and how they think, so that it affects the way they live. So that they grow into women who keep the main thing the main thing. That is the ultimate baton pass, and the prize isn’t a medal, it’s Jesus. And He is most certainly the main thing.