I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 2 Timothy 1:5 NLT
You are being watched. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are being watched. Especially by the young people who know you best. Timothy’s story highlights the power of a genuine, unhypocritical faith handed down through generations by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. It was so notable that Paul called attention to these women and their impact in his letter to his young son in the Lord.
Lois and Eunice were ordinary women. They lived out a real and honest faith in God, not flawless, but authentic. Timothy was able to watch them pray through hard situations, respond with patience in conflict, and rejoice in blessings. The daily rhythms of life in conversations around the table were doubtless pivotal in Timothy’s faith development.
Never underestimate the power of an ordinary moment. Letting younger people see you make mistakes, ask questions, and turn to God for comfort and wisdom builds a strong spiritual foundation for them to build upon.
The truth is, they are watching you, whether or not you plan for it. God’s design has always been for faith to be formed through relationships, not programs. Word are not unimportant, but they cannot match lives worth following.
- Someone is learning to pray by watching you choose prayer as your first option.
- Someone is learning to serve by watching you faithfully serve.
- Someone is learning how to effectively and humbly lead by watching you remain consistent through pressure and ease, through conflict and cooperation, through joy and sorrow.
Some day they will pray, serve, and lead as they learned from you. Today is when you and I can authentically offer our love, investment of time and resources, and the example of true intimacy with Jesus if we choose to live it.
- God, I want to be worthy of imitation. Help me follow You so faithfully that I am worth following. Help me get close enough to the young people you send my way that they can see and understand the fulfillment from loving, living, and walking with You faithfully.