How are you doing? Have you seen glimpses of God’s glory these past couple of months in what many dads have started calling ‘bonus family time’? Or has stress been high as a result of job loss or an industry taking an abnormally hard hit due to the mandatory shutdown? Prayers are lifted up as we Americans, from coast to coast begin the race reboot.

I am not suggesting that we simply reboot back to the rat race that was being run ‘BC’, Before Covid. The charge is to reboot in a way that builds on the positives experienced in marriage and family through this time. Are there changes that need to be made to your family calendar? Are there concerns around your work schedule, job or career path that have surfaced? Are you prepared to pass the baton well to the next generation?

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. – 1Corinthians 9:24-27. Paul had been running one race for most of his life – one that was grounded in Jewish traditions and manifested in the persecution of followers of Jesus. Then, on the road to Damascus, the light of Christ blasted through the status quo and provided Paul a race reboot. The passion and perseverance used to deter those following the Way would be redirected to introduce Jews and Gentiles to Jesus the Christ. Is the Lord working to redirect you, granting you a race reboot with priorities grounded in lessons learned these last couple of months? Embrace a race reboot and lead your family in the Way.

What redirection has the Lord put on your heart? Is it a more intentional effort to prioritize the right stuff as a family or is He nudging you to make a job or career change? The key is to not run like someone running aimlessly or fight like a boxer beating the air. Embrace a race reboot and run in such a way as to get the prize. The prize is a crown that will last forever. A generation is watching and waiting to receive the baton of faith.

Prayer guide: Thank You Lord for Your word and Your love. The race I have been running is one of busy-ness. I did not think I was running aimlessly but indeed I have been from Your perspective. Forgive me. Thank You for this time of relative quiet to rethink the race You have for me. Help me embrace redirection that glorifies You, a race reboot grounded in right priorities – nurturing a personal, passionate and growing relationship with You, living that relationship in marriage and reflecting it in family. I want to run in such a way as to get the prize and pass the baton of faith well to the next generation. Amen.

A faithful father embraces race reboot and passes the baton well.