Moms play a critical role in every family. They raise us, nurture us, love us, demonstrate the right way to live, and make gigantic sacrifices for us. We owe them an incredible debt. Now consider the additional responsibilities of being a military mom.
Military moms act as a single parent during deployments. Their work load doubles when duty calls a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine overseas. They endure hardship, long hours, little rest, and loneliness. They sacrifice time and comforts to make life better at home. A military mom keeps the family together while times are tough and a loved one is deployed.
The Bible shows us a great example of motherly love and action in Acts 16:1-2. “Paul came to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethern at Lystra and Iconium.”
Timothy was a remarkable and talented young man. He was highly recommended by the local church leaders. His mom, Eunice, had done such a good job raising and teaching her son that Paul wanted to take him on his missionary journey. Think about this accomplishment. Her work at home made this young man ready to enter the ministry of the early church and reach the world for Jesus Christ.
She was a strong woman of faith as was her mother (2 Timothy 1:5). But Eunice was unique in that she was able to pass this faith along to her son. This was no small feat since Timothy’s father was not a believer. It also required extra work since it was usually the father’s job to teach the sons and the mother’s job to teach the daughters. Perhaps there were times when she felt too exhausted from all the work of the day to spend time with her son. But she would not give up in her responsibilities. She was faithful and willing to do the extra work. Praise God that Eunice made time to teach her son Timothy!
Be mindful of Eunice and her tremendous example from scripture. Think about her loving sacrifice of time and how it changed her family and ultimately the world. Consider how moms have made time for us and how we should respond with our own families. May God give you the faith, the vision, and the strength of Eunice as we celebrate mothers across America.
God Squad 