Worthy of the Gospel

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” 2 Timothy 1:5 esv

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, it is appropriate to lavish praise and affection on our mothers for all they do. We often take for granted the influence they have on us. We are who we are largely due to our mother’s early investment into our loves. We can talk about how our mannerisms take after our fathers, but if it were not for our Mother’s dedication, we would not have matured to resemble our fathers.

As Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, a young man whom he had personally mentored, Paul reminds Timothy to remember his mother and grandmother who had a great spiritual influence over his life. Historians have pointed out for us that Timothy’s mother was a Jew and his father was a gentile. This provided a unique environment for him to grow up in, a situation that is not uncommon in our churches today. This is why I find it so interesting the Timothy’s faith was so strong.

Today, the church is filled with broken or unevenly yoked families. Children are undeniably torn between their parents and constantly faced with the contrasting culture of this world. This usually results in many young adults leaving the faith.

But wait, that seems contradictory to the story in II Timothy. There is a reason for that. It says here that Lois and Eunice had a sincere faith. Their faith was genuine and it stood up against the conflicts of their world. Eunice was out of her element and married to a gentile. This would have caused a unique contrast of world views in the home, but Eunice’s faith was sincere and wasn’t diminished by her circumstances.

Lois and Eunice’s actions were not simply to drag Timothy to the temple every Sabbath, that wouldn’t have been enough. No, they had an authentic faith that was practiced at home as much as it was practiced at church. This is the element that we are missing today. It’s not to say that we don’t have mothers who are dedicated to Christ, but we don’t emphasize the importance of visual authenticity.

Mothers, because they are so close to their children in their early development, need to live transparently in front of their kids with genuine dedication to God’s Word. Their children should watch them pray and see God’s answers. They should hear them praise their father and love him with unquestionable devotion. They should see conviction and repentance regularly as the mother publicly confesses her faults and makes changes to correct them. This is the sort of example that a whole generation of children need to see in order to establish a sincere faith for their future.

So, today, on Mother’s Day, I want to encourage and challenge mothers to become a force to be reckoned with. Become an army that says, “We are not going to lose the next generation on our watch!” Rise above the statistics and stereotypes and make an impact where your children’s teachers can say, “I know where your genuine passion and sincere faith comes from.”

All mothers make a difference, make your difference count for eternity.