Ever feel like your role as a mother is meaningless and leaves no impact? I know I have. It seems like the culture pressures women to be in the workforce and places very little importance on the role of being a mother at home raising children. It seems that the value of a woman is equated with the economic value she adds to society rather than the value she can add raising the next generation. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that woman have a role in the marketplace. I would not have put myself through years of higher education if I didn’t. But I firmly believe that each woman should be given the freedom to stay at home, if she so chooses, but I realize that this is not an option for every woman.
Over the years I’ve found that it is a privilege and a blessing to say “I can stay home with my children and not have to work to help put food on the table.” But to be honest, I don’t always feel that way. At times I feel that my work as a mom is invisible. There are no accolades and “great job” most of the time. And sometimes it feels that the work is never ending because…. well, it is never ending and the pay stinks! When it comes to assessing the value of a parent at home, there is no quantitative data that is easy to compare. No numbers to look at, per se. The data is all qualitative; they are stories and experiences passed down from the elder to younger.
At times I’ve asked God, “Does staying at home with my kids even make a difference? Does this even matter?” In those moments I usually meet another mom who has been in my same situation and unknowingly reminds me that “yes! My work as a mother matters and makes a huge impact in the Kingdom of God.” And you know what?! God even left us an example of a mother in the New Testament, who’s role as a mom made a huge and lasting impact on the world. Her name was Eunice. She is the mother of Timothy; a young pastor who worked closely with the Apostle Paul.
Who was Eunice? Eunice is mentioned only one time by name in the Bible in 2 Timothy 1:5. She was a Jewish woman married to a Gentile (Acts 16:1), her son was Timothy, and her mother was Lois. In 2 Timothy 1:3-6 the Apostle Paul admonishes Timothy as a young pastor:
I (Paul) thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you (Timothy) in my prayers night and day. Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy, clearly recalling your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice, and that I am convinced is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Here Paul reminds Timothy of his faith legacy; a legacy which had been passed down to him from his grandmother and mother. In 2 Timothy 3:14-15 we discover that Timothy had learned the Scriptures since his childhood. With a Gentile father, we can conclude that Lois and Eunice were the ones to teach Timothy about his Jewish heritage and the Scriptures.
Eunice wasn’t a perfect woman. She had married a Gentile husband, which was against Jewish law. It must have been difficult to raise her son with Jewish beliefs, not only in a culture that promoted the worship of multiple gods but also in a home where her and her husband had different religious affiliations. But I have to give her credit, she made sure her son, Timothy, knew the Scriptures because he wasn’t going to learn it from his father! She took on the role of Spiritual teacher and she lived out her faith before her son; obeying the Scripture found in Deuteronomy concerning teaching the Scripture to the next generation.
Deuteronomy 11:18-21 says “Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your fathers.”
Eunice left an impact on the world through her son. The biblical foundation she laid in her son’s life left fertile soil for the Gospel to take root in his life. Ultimately this teaching at home lead Timothy to join Paul in his ministry and ultimately set the stage for him to become the pastor of the early Church in Ephesus. Even though we know very little about Eunice, she had a great impact on the early Church. If it wasn’t for her influence on Timothy, he may have never joined Paul in his ministry and the New Testament that we have today may not have any mention of Timothy or the two books of Timothy.
Sometimes we may feel that the “endless” hours we have with our kids at home could be better spent making money at work or volunteering for a good cause. But in the hum drum of life, those hours spent with our children aren’t “endless.” We have a set amount of time with them to prepare them to be productive members of society and to teach them about God and what it looks like to follow him. As parents we have a great amount of influence over our kids. They need us and desire our attention and wisdom. God has set it up this way, and as we read in Deuteronomy 11, He commands us to intentionally teach our children about Him and His word (the Bible). We, parents, are designed to be our children’s primary teacher. Those teachers at school and church are supplemental and are to help fill in the gaps of subjects in which we are not proficient in teaching our children. What we teach our children when they are young generally follows them throughout their life. Eunice took up the challenge to teach young Timothy about her faith and in turn his faith grew.
Moms, you may be “unseen” by the world, but God is watching and He see’s all the hard work you put in among the four walls of your home. Your work matters. It matters to God and it matters to your children, even in those moments when your kids act like they don’t care or are upset with you for enforcing boundaries. Whether you work outside the home or only inside the home, you are the most important person in your child’s life (along with Dad). Your role as parent is vital and life changing for that little one, and will even impact the lives of their friends! Parent’s affect “change” more than they realize. You are vital! You are precious! You are seen!
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
The Ruby Blossom 