 In the May 12, 2024 devotion for Our Daily Bread, Nancy Gavilanes shares about the difference her mother’s faith made in the life of her and their family. As teens, she and her sister didn’t understand their mom’s decision to receive Jesus as her Savior, but they couldn’t deny the changes they saw in her. She had more peace and joy and began faithfully serving at church. She had such a hunger for studying the Bible that she attended and graduated from seminary. A few years after her mom’s decision, Nancy’s sister accepted Christ and started serving Him. And a few years after that, Nancy also placed her trust in Jesus and started serving Him. Many years later, their father joined them in faith as well. Nancy’s mother’s decision for Christ created a life-changing ripple effect among her immediate and extended family.
In 2 Timothy 1:3-5, the Apostle Paul writes: “I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” Although Paul affectionately called Timothy “my true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2 and 2 Timothy 1:2), he wasn’t the one who taught him about Jesus. It was his own mother Eunice and grandmother Lois (2 Timothy 1:5) who taught him the holy Scriptures from childhood, and gave him the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Jesus (3:15). Timothy was of mixed parentage—a gentile father and Jewish mother. When Paul first met him, Timothy was already a leader and the believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him (Acts 16:2). He became Paul’s intern, traveling companion, and trusted protégé (vv. 3-4; Philippians 2:19-22). That the apostle sent Timothy to deal with the troublesome Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 4:17) and to confront false teachers in the Ephesian church (1 Timothy 1:3) testifies to this young man’s spiritual maturity and ministry leadership. When the apostle Paul wrote his final letter to Timothy and encouraged him to persevere in his faith in Jesus, he noted Timothy’s spiritual heritage. “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5). Moms and grandmoms, your decisions can affect generations. How beautiful that Timothy’s mother and grandmother helped nurture his faith so he could become the man God was calling him to be. On this Mother’s Day and beyond, let’s honor mothers who’ve made a decision to follow Jesus. Let’s also be intentional about teaching the details of our faith as we serve the Lord in love and discernment. Happy Mother’s Day to all who are raising kids in the Lord, Tyler
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