“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” (2 Timothy 1:5 ESV).
What Does a Gospel Ripple Look Like?
As we have seen, the story of Lois was ripple to daughter Eunice, ripple to son Timothy, ripple to thousands, perhaps millions. His spiritual character drew Paul to make him his apprentice and write two letters included in Scripture. How many people have been impacted by 1 and 2 Timothy? They are arguably the most important letters in the Bible on what a church and pastor is supposed to be and do.
Timothy is praised. Lois and Eunice are merely mentioned. Think of what is said of them now in heaven? The rock of their life and mothering created a ripple that still reverberates in eternity.
This is the incredible privilege of parenting. We have no idea the impact our children will have for heaven. Every child is a soul that will spend eternity somewhere. A life whose potential impact for the gospel is inconceivable. Since they are the ripple, what a difference one faithful, praying, humble, Christ-loving, God-glorifying mom can be. You can literally change the story of your whole family tree. Not just your kids—your grandkids, great grandkids, and onward.
Paul Tripp says this, “These are not years merely to be survived! They are to be approached with a sense of hope and a sense of mission. Almost every day brings a new opportunity to [invest in] the life of [your child] help, hope, and truth….all must be seen as something more than hassles that get in the way of an otherwise enjoyable life.”[1]
What humanly hangs in the balance of the daily frustrations and challenges is an eternal soul. The balance here is that God does the saving so we must not pretend we are God to our kid’s salvation. At the same time, shouldn’t we do all we can to nurture their understanding of God, Scriptures, a Christian worldview, the better story Christianity tells about sex and gender and identity? Like Lois and Eunice, we fertilize the soil of the soul so that the gospel finds a rich environment to take root and grow.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
© 2021 by Steve DeWitt. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include Bethel’s website address (www.bethelweb.org) on the copied resource.
[1] Paul Tripp as quoted by Dustin J. Coleman, “Learning to See the Glory in the Frustration of Parenting, Theology Along the Way, May 1, 2018, https://theologyalongtheway.org/2018/05/01/learning-to-see-the-glory-in-the-frustration-of-parenting/.
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