The generations are only together for a season.
The calendar is reminiscent of the decades between their birthdays.
An ocean divides the era they each grew up in.
The wallpaper of home it captures a story of life in “their day”, a movie told as reruns in dinner conversations.
The simple moments are still the big moments regardless of age.
You don’t have to walk far to realize whose hand you hold is a gift and worth the travel down memory lane or new adventures ahead; rather than choosing to miss the sightseeing together and go it alone.
The generations are only together for a season.
Each generation leaves the starting lineup from a different era, another team, keeping pace from their individual lane in the race.
In their lane one generation is always pursuing a personal best; that their time in the race might be recorded as God had planned, whose story is one to remember and passed on down in the family Bible as inspiration to those who continue the race.
In their lane the heart of one generation is beating fast as the pace picks up from the lap before it, making sure to exhale the gifts and memories received along the way onto the next generation about to take their position at the starting lineup.
While each generation has a lane and individual race to run from, each generation perseveres to finish the race God set before them; with cheerleaders of encouragement along every step of the way, whose voices are trumpeted thru the final stretch and over the finish line.
In time, the next generation will leave the starting line-up and take their place into the same lane behind the generation previous, and run the race together for just a short distance, where the hand-off of the baton of their life, the baton of their love and wisdom to a run their race and victory dance is complete.
Sadly, the running shoes of the generation previous eventually hang as a trophy of their glory days, whose highlight reels re-play in their memories and stories re-told for those audiences eager enough to listen.
The generations are only together for a season.
The generation previous will run in the same lane and in front of the upcoming generation for only a few meters of their life’s race, where the baton of their legacy is blindly handed off and entrusted into the hands of those whose race continues beyond them.
There is no looking back from the runner in front during this crucial baton exchange of one’s legacy.
Races are won and lost in this exchange.
The race continues from one generation to the next, each taking their lane and attempts to run a personal best that pleases God.
Legs will grow weary.
The wind of adversity will push against one’s limits.
The insurmountable odds of the pursuit might dash one’s faith.
But every runner must keep the pace, must hold tight onto the baton they’ve been given.
As the next generation is waiting for sights of you at the starting line-up;
Anxious for two generations to follow each other, to love and learn from each other, to receive the prize of the hand-off that God promises in our finish.
To keep in step and treasure together the few meters each race of the generations is granted.