Lois and Eunice were the grandmother and mother of Timothy. Timothy, for those who don’t know, was Paul’s protégé (you know, the Paul who almost single-handedly wrote the New Testament? Yeah, him). He is also the same Timothy that Paul is addressing in 1st and 2nd Timothy. These ladies literally only get a brief mention in the Bible but they have much to teach us on the subject of “legacy”. More inclined to listen rather than read the rest of this devotional? That's fine by me! Just press play on the audio below. Feel free to download also:
Paul’s second epistle (letter) to Timothy is really a call to action. He was basically writing to his young mentee to encourage him not to shrink back from his faith and gifts but to rise up and fully own them. This is in the face of Paul’s imprisonment, the persecution of Christians and many people cutting ties with both Paul and his doctrine as a result. He knew, therefore, that his admonishment to “Preach the word!” was not without risks; hence the inclusion of reassurances such as “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you heard from me, in faith…”. Another thing that Paul does to reassure Timothy is remind him of the stock that he has come from. This can be found in 2nd Timothy 1:5 when he states that “the genuine faith” in Timothy that allowed him to both hear and accept Paul’s words was originally found in his grandmother (Lois) and mother (Eunice). In other words, these ladies and their example was what set the foundation for Timothy to grow up to become the man that he did. He was, in fact, a testament to them and their legacy.
Towards the end of James 4:14, James asks “For what is your life?” He then goes on to answer: “It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Such Biblical verses remind us of the transience of life; that our existence on this earth is short. Yet God has endowed us, like Timothy, with gifts; talents and the faith needed to use these in accordance with His will. This could involve parenting a physical child, like Lois and Eunice, but can also extend to bringing forth “brainchildren” such as our visions, goals and dreams. The best part? We will never know how far reaching our influence will be. Our ability to “walk worthy of the calling to which we were called” could impact generations, just like Louis and Eunice did.
So what about you, lovely? What do you want your legacy to be? What is the mark that you would like to leave on the world? The word “faith” was synonymous with Lois and Eunice, what word or phrase do you want to be synonymous with you? What step could you take today to build the legacy that you see in your mind’s eye? May God “teach us to number our days” so that we will waste no more of the short time we have left on anything that is not conducive to our purpose and legacy.