1:5 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 . . .

3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14-15 (ESV)

Between 1970 and 1990, the number of single-parent families more than doubled in the United States, and, for the first time, children were more likely than not to live in a single-parent home for reasons other than the death of a mother or father. One in four children is now born to an unmarried mother, and 40% of the others will later see their parents split apart. In the final analysis, 90% of single-parent families will be led by females, some of them mere teenagers.1 What word of hope can a pastor offer to women who have found themselves in—or marched themselves into—such woeful circumstances? For one thing, he might tell them about Lois’s and Eunice’s influence on Timothy.

According to the Apostle Paul, Timothy’s mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, were marked by sincere faith (v. 5). Under their care, Timothy came to share their faith, and so was able to stand firm for the gospel, even when others were deserting Paul (1:15). The women had acquainted him with the Scriptures (in those days, what is now called the Old Testament) and taught him to trust in Christ and so receive salvation. Strikingly, Paul made no mention of Timothy’s father,2 but the influence of his godly mother and grandmother shaped him for eternal good.

Of course, the biblical ideal is that fathers will take the initiative in raising their children to be Christians, but all is not lost when fathers are absent or ineffective as spiritual guides.3 First, through the Spirit, God can transform and strengthen the lives of women for the task at hand. Second, He equips them with Scripture, whose pages are filled with wisdom and power for child raising. Third, He dispatches fellow believers, such as Lois, to their side.

The message of forgiveness is like ointment to many a damaged soul, and it is joy enough to see in converts the budding realization that, because of Christ, their sin has not disqualified them for heaven. But the good news does not stop there. It extends to the truth that all the redeemed, regardless of their past calamities, can be used mightily to extend the kingdom. Single moms and faithful grandparents can raise Timothys of their own, should they follow the example of Eunice and Lois.

Footnotes:
1
Jacqueline Kirby, “Single-Parent Families in Poverty,” Human Development and Family Life Bulletin 1, Spring 1995, http://www.hec.ohio-state.edu/famlife/bulletin/volume.1/bullart1.htm (accessed November 22, 2005).

2
Acts 16:1 says that Timothy’s father was Greek, but Paul makes no reference to his spiritual influence on Timothy.

3
See Kairos Journal article, “Top Ten Father Facts.”

article adapted from Kairos Journal

First Baptist Church of Perryville is located one and a half miles east of Rt. 222