The Benefits and Blessings of Having a Godly Mother

By Jason Lovelace

Keys for Today:

“I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee n my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call into remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

– II Timothy 1.3~5

“Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. Wherefore did he evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab…”

– II Chronicles 22.2~4

In the movie Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure – a story of two high school boys going back in time to collect people of history for a class project – one of the historical figures is being questioned by the police. The exasperated officer is, himself trying to question Sigmund Freud, when Freud turns the tables and says to the cop, “Tell me about your mother….”   Since this Sunday (May 9^th 2010) is Mother’s Day, this is what we will talk about (and what everyone has been talking about since May 1^st): Mother. Today, this lesson will focus on the benefits and blessings of having a Godly mother.

Tell Me About Your Mother…

Let me repeat Sigmund Freud’s question from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure: Tell me about your Mother. Think about your mother. Take some time to reflect and remember some of the things that your mother has taught you or told you in the past. When this writer thinks about his mother, he has many memories: Mom crying at the last College Football Game I ever played in. Mom crying as he left to go to Japan for the first time twelve years ago. Mom hugging his wife before she ever knew her. Mom praying over her sick family. Mom singing as she worked around the house. What memories come to mind when you think of your mother? When you hear the word “Mom”, what do you think? For this writer thoughts of Christmas Day, cookies, cakes, family dinners, Thanksgiving, Family Reunions, Tall glasses of ice-cold lemonade or sweet tea after a particularly hot and busy day mowing the grass or doing outside work with Dad, and quiet times with a good book or light conversation. Memories of warm hugs, hot biscuits, good coffee, and always, always lots and lots of love come to mind when this writer hears the word “Mom”. What memories come to your mind? Are they good?

The Influence of Mom

You see, Mom’s influence is quite strong. Even in foreign lands, the word “Mom” – or something very close and akin to it – has a lot of meaning. In Medieval times in Japan, Mom was the ruler of the house. Yes, Dad, too, is also the ruler, but because Mom stayed home, it was her responsibility to train up the children in basic methods of self-defense, culture, traditions, and honor. Medieval Japanese mothers were trained to use sharpened chopsticks or longish penknives to defend their honor or to die in the attempt. Japanese mothers also were generally trained in the use of the spear to defend the home. In our Keys for today, we see, too, how Ancient mothers had great influence over their children. Long before the Apostle Paul ever knew who Timothy was, his mother was preparing him for the ministry and for life as a Christian believer. On the flip side of things, we see, too, how King Ahaziah was influenced for evil purposes by his mother. You see, Mom has a great influence over the house, and over the lives of children. Yes, Dad does too, and it takes a team of Mom and Dad together to train up children, but since today is Mother’s Day, we want to focus things on Mom. Dad will get his due in a month and a week. The influence of Mom cannot and should not be denied. Moms, you have a great influence over your children. Many people wonder how it came about that this writer became a missionary. Much of the story comes about by way of his mother’s family. Mom has and older sister. Her name is Linda Spalding, and for the better part of four decades, Uncle Tom and Aunt Linda – along with their three children, this writer’s cousins – were foreign missionaries in Central and South America. See? Mom’s influence. How has Mom influenced your life?

A Lasting Legacy

The interesting things that this writer found out about his mother is that the Godly Heritage didn’t start with Mom. One of the things that this writer’s Mom does when things are hard is sing hymns of the church. In her hardest times, this writer has heard and seen his mother sing hymns around the house. One time when this writer was a boy, he was with his family at his maternal grandmother’s house in Indiana. At Grandma Sibert’s house in order to get form the guestroom to the restroom, it was necessary to walk through the dining room, which was right in front of the kitchen. Early one morning, when this writer was a boy, he was walking through the dining room to go to the bathroom. On his way back to bed (it was something like 6AM), he heard Grandma Sibert in the kitchen. “Good morning, Jason! Would you like an apple tart and some milk? I just baked some.” Grandma Sibert was a little German lady, and her apple tarts, pies, and other goodies weren’t to be missed, especially when offered. Accepting her offer readily, this writer sat down at Grandma Sibert’s table. While he was having this early, early morning breakfast, he noticed something. It was Grandma’s soft, high voice humming, then singing, an old hymn of the church while she finished preparations for breakfast. As she turned, she saw his look of awe and winked, and it was right then that this writer got it. Mom sang because she learned to do so from Grandma! See? Mom’s influence is a lasting legacy. While growing up, this writer had often woken early while at home too, to go to the restroom. Invariably, he would hear his father praying in those early hours, and quite often for him. Again, the family was in Tennessee visiting Grandma and Grandpa Kelley’s house, Dad’s parents. Again, one morning, waking up early, and passing by Grandma and Grandpa’s bedroom, this writer heard his grandmother praying in the pre-dawn hours. Like Grandma Sibert, Grandma Kelley always woke early, before the sun, to make preparations for the day, and to get breakfast ready. Grandma Kelley always started her day in prayer, and this writer, her grandson, whenever he and his family would visit, often passed by her room and heard her pray. That’s where Dad learned it! You see, Grandma has an influence, too! It’s a legacy, passed down from one generation to another! What kind of legacy do you have? What is being passed on?

Good Grandma, Bad Grandma

We see in today’s Keys a contrasting situation involving two Biblical Families. We have first, the Old Testament story of young King Ahaziah. King Ahaziah’s mother was Queen Athaliah, but the evil business and the evil influence didn’t start with her. As the Scriptures state, Queen Athaliah was one of the daughters of Omri. In essence, she was of the household of King Ahab, the wicked king of Israel who married the stunningly beautiful, but just-as-stunningly corrupt and idolatrous Queen Jezebel. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were instrumental in presenting the vile and grisly worship of Baal to Israel. They, together, had two sons (Ahaziah and Jehoram) and one daughter, named Athaliah. Athaliah was given in marriage to prince (later King) Jehoram, the son of King Jehoshaphat – the Godly king of Judah – in hopes to somehow reunite or at least draw closer ties between Israel and Judah. Instead, what Judah received was a disastrous reign of two kings and a queen, all three of whom were influenced by none other than Queen Jezebel (who, interestingly enough, outlived all three of them). We see the vile effects of having an ungodly mother and an even worse grandmother. King Ahaziah of Judah is now known only for his death at the hands of King Jehu of Israel and his one-year reign, and is largely unknown except aside form people who read their Bibles – particularly the Old Testament – with any regularity. His grandmother and mother are both far better known (especially Grandma Jezebel) and are infamous for their wretched evil.   We need to understand how evil – when it is given influence – results in tragedy, death, and destruction. Both Queens Jezebel and her daughter Athaliah met very painful deaths, and the very existence of Judah as a kingdom (let alone a Godly one) was greatly jeopardized, and a young king who could have had great influence became little more than an afterthought and a footnote in the history of Judah and the Bible and Israel as a whole. On the other side of the coin, in our Key from the New Testament, we see how God blessed the family and life of Timothy. We know very little about Timothy’s Mother and Grandmother, Lois and Eunice. In fact, this passage from Second Timothy is the only place where we their names mentioned, though we do hear about Timothy’s Mom and Dad in the Book of Acts. However, even people who only read the Bible casually recognize the name of Timothy. Many who come and go from church on a regular basis recognize Timothy as not only the Apostle Paul’s protégé, but also as the leader of the Early Church at the time of the first government persecution of Christians under Caesar Nero. Timothy figures very importantly into the Bible, especially the New Testament, and has two books named for him, as well as having a strong presence in the Book of Acts, as well as being mentioned elsewhere. Many Bible Scholars also believe that the Epistle to the Hebrews – though credited to being an Epistle written by Paul – was written and sent by Timothy immediately following Paul’s death in Rome. An interesting contrast isn’t it? We know next-to-nothing about Timothy’s Grandmother and Mother, save that they were Godly, yet Timothy figures so prominently in the Bible. We know and are very familiar with Queens Jezebel and Athaliah, but their grandson and son King Ahaziah remains relatively unknown. Do you see your influence Mom and Grandma? How is that influence?

The Bottom Line – The Best Inheritance Mom and Grandma can Give is a Godly Heritage

Both Charles Stanley and Joel Osteen preached on this during the week of Mother’s Day, 2010: The best inheritance a Mother and a Grandmother can give is not a large sum of money; it isn’t large houses nor great swaths of land; it isn’t high power or prestige in business or in any other sector today; the best inheritance Mom and Grandma can give is a Godly, righteous heritage. King Solomon in the Book of Proverbs writes this:

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

– Proverbs 22.6

Now this Proverb is both good news and bad news. It is bad news, first, because if a child is brought up badly, he or she will end up badly, and it will literally take a miracle to break a child away from bad, evil habits. The examples given to us by Queens Jezebel and Athaliah – along with other glaring examples found in Scripture – are clear and glaring to us that evil habits produce evil results. However, the Good News is that this Proverb also means that children who are brought up with a Godly, Christ-like heritage never forget it, and even if they drift away, will often return later in life. This writer’s maternal grandmother is a shining example. Grandma Sibert had eleven children, and for many years – despite Grandma Sibert being the Godly woman that she was – most of her children walked away form the Lord. Yet, before they died, two of her daughters and one of her sons returned to the Lord, and a third daughter has also returned to Jesus since Grandma Sibert passed away nearly twenty years ago. Mom, grandma, what you do influences your children and grandchildren.

Conclusion – Mom, You Have Great Influence

A few questions:

Mom, what are you teaching your children? Grandma, what are you passing on to your grandchildren?

In the future, what will your children say about you, Mom? What kind of words will your grandchildren use to identify you, grandma?

What kind of influence are you having now, and will you have in the future? Is it Godly?

The good news is, if you have lived a life and had a motherhood of unrighteousness, tragedy, and failure, you can start today, but not without the help of Jesus Christ. Grandmother, if your influence has been shoddy in the past, you can change that for the better. Also, Grandma, if your children haven’t a Godly Mother, why not be that Godly influence that children not only need, but also crave? You can do that and be that right now. Remember that your memory will far and long outlive you, and what influence you are having today will pass on to generations that follow.   Let’s pray…

Prayer – Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for Mom. We thank you for Grandma. Whether or not their influences were right and good or not, we thank you for them and for their decision to have children. Bless all mothers and grandmothers that see this today, and if there be any who wish to make that change, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we pray, Father, that they will come and put their faith and trust in you today. We pray all of this in Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Verse for the Day:

“I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee n my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call into remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

– II Timothy 1.3~5