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. II Timothy 1:5
Since a young girl, I've been very hard on myself. I have high standards and strive for perfection. As a result, I'm often overwhelmed and disappointed with myself.
When I became a mom, in typical fashion, I convinced myself that I was going to get it all right. Healthy meals, a strict schedule, church on Sundays, and bedtime prayers just to name a few.
A couple of years ago, I started to realize that my son was following in my self-critical footsteps. Around that same time, he did an interview for church and shared that he wanted to have faith like mine. I quickly realized that as his role model, I needed to start sharing my struggles and weaknesses while modeling trust in God. I needed to show my faith is real. Not perfect.
I thought God was expecting me to be a perfect example, but I have learned that my children don’t need me to strive for the perfection of Christ. They need to see me in pursuit of Christ. They need me to point them to Christ. They need to see the power of Christ made perfect in my weakness.
Paul modeled this beautifully. He shifted from begging God to remove his thorn in the flesh to being glad to boast about the weaknesses it revealed—all at the mention of God’s all-sufficient grace. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) In his final letter written to Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy, and all other believers, to persevere in faith (2 Timothy 3:14) and proclaim the gospel. He acknowledges Timothy’s affectionate spirit and his sincere faith—a faith that was instilled in him by two godly women, his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice. While this is the only verse in all of Scripture that the women are mentioned in, Timothy tells their story through his own life.
Ultimately, Timothy was not the only person to benefit from the godly influence of his mother, his grandmother, and Paul, a spiritual father. The entire church in Ephesus reaped the benefits of their godly influence. Their legacy lives on today.
As mothers, grandmothers, or spiritual parents, we have been called to share the Word with our children from infancy so that they may be wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15) On Mother's Day, may we take time to honor the women in our lives that have provided godly influence. We pray that you are encouraged to live out your sincere faith by pursuing Him daily and pointing your children to our perfect Father.
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