Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Baton of Hope - Guest Post



Please welcome my dear friend and guest blogger, Eileen Knowles to my site. I am grateful that she has gracefully accepted my invitation to post with me. She is a gifted writer and shares her experiences on her blog site The Scenic Route, links and bio are listed at the end.


The Baton of Hope




Sometimes I picture hope as the baton we carry through this race called life. We pass this baton from one generation to the next. It progresses on down the road an impacts and changes whoever grabs hold of it.I once heard it explained this way to me: Flip to Hebrews 11 in your Bible. It's the chapter sometimes referred to as the Hall of Faith, where we read about all the incredible men and women of faith who have come before us.

Now, look up Hebrews 11:41 in the Bible. You won't find this verse. Why? You won't find it because you are living this verse right now. I've always found great joy in knowing that my life, my faith walk, is part of the bigger picture. It's woven together with those who came before us. We are a team of racers and God's plan was always to incorporate our leg of the race into the picture already painted.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Hebrews 11: 39-40

I am grateful that this baton of hope was passed down to me from my mom. However, there was a season in my life when I didn't have a very firm grip on it and allowed it to slip from my hands. Today, I hold on tightly. I know what my life looks like when I loosen my grip and let go.

The other day I was reading through the account of Jesus asking Peter repeatedly if he loved Him. It was after the resurrection, after Peter was put to the test, and after he denied he even knew his Savior multiple times.I find this picture of Jesus confronting Peter one of the most beautiful exchanges in Scripture. It's almost as if Jesus is telling Peter. You dropped the baton, you took your eyes off the finish line and allowed fear to guide your steps. Now, pick up the baton and keeping running, my Child! Keep running!


Let us hold unswerving to the hope we profess, because He who promised is faithful. ~Hebrews 10:23





Eileen Knowles is a small town Arizona girl who studied English at The University of Arizona a long, long time ago. She now lives in small town North Carolina with her husband, Roger, their nine-year old son, and one quirky dog named Bisbee. When she is not working part-time as a Virtual Assistant for eaHelp, she thoroughly enjoys drinking coffee, running, playing Scrabble, and writing about how cool it is to journey through life with Jesus holding her hand.
Eileen is passionate about leaving a legacy for her son and encouraging others along the way who might need a dose of hope poured into their weary lives.
You can find her taking The Scenic Route
Twitter
Facebook



9 comments:

From Carols Quill said...

Beautifully written, Eileen! I loved what you said about not holding very tightly to the baton at one point in your life. You've written my story. But praise God, He must have covered the baton in glue because the baton never entirely left my hand and today it's stuck there permanently.

Thank you for the lovely image!

Eileen said...

"But praise God," Yes to this!!

chris said...

This is excellent Eileen, I love the way that Hebrews 11 ties us all together with the hall of famers! Run sister run :-)

Eileen said...

I agree, Chris!

Eileen said...

Thanks for having me today, Terri!!

lynnmosher said...

Eileen, such a great post! I love the baton idea. I think Hebrews 11 is my favorite chapter in the Bible. Such encouragement! Thank you!

Jon Stolpe said...

Eileen, Funny how are posts "coordinated" today without coordinating. Great thoughts. I'm so thankful for those who have handed off HOPE to me, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to pass HOPE along to others.

Eileen said...

Lynn, Yes, I love Hebrews 11 too. So much hope!

Jon, yes, I smiled when I saw how they complimented one another!!

Terrie said...

You are very welcome Eileen, anytime sister!

Blessings!!
Terrie