Thanks, Lois and Eunice!

(Warning -- longer than my usual long blogs -- but, I promise you -- so worth the read!)
My mother’s parents, my grandfather and grandmother, John and Mary, were two of the most loving and faith-filled couple I have ever known. At any given time of the day, you’d find them praying for their children, grandchildren and even for future generations. I am one of those grandchildren. Before I was born, they were praying for me. That still comforts me because I’ve seen the fruit of those prayers in my life and in the lives of my children and grandchildren.

The thoughts of my grandparents and parents, the sacrifices they made for me in prayer, particularly, came to me with gratitude when I read St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, his protégé. This is what Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:5: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” The faithfulness of Timothy’s mother and grandmother was noticed by Paul because he was seeing the fruit of their prayers in Timothy. And, that is the faith I was taught and passed on to my children and grandchildren. We live this way! Unwavering faith in our God of the impossible.

A couple of weeks ago I saw that faith manifested by two dear family friends, the grandmother, Jillian Chambers and her daughter, Sydni Simons. We knew Sydni would give birth any day. We were so excited for the young couple's firstborn's arrival. But, while I was taking care of my boys in Austin, grandmother Jillian (Honey) sent out prayer alerts to only those who would also be undaunted in faith. Sydni's dad wrote: "Sydni experienced over 24 hours of highly stressful labor, and then a C-section with even more challenges. There were moments the doctors didn't know if baby Charlotte would make it. Baby was taken from Mom and rushed to NICU in another hospital. They were separated for several days, but through faith, a plethora of prayers, around the clock medical care, lots of tears and unstoppable prayers, baby Charlotte was off of all life supporting tubes, held by mom and dad, loved by everybody, and was able to go home 48 hours later." Sydni is the product of the strong faith of her mother and dad. She wrote this in great faith:

"Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness! Man, what a week. I will tell you this. God is good. There is nothing that can change my mind about His eternal goodness. That is an absolute. God is good, absolutely. Next, the Body of Christ is unreal. My faith has never felt more shaken or tested than the way it has been this week. I hit that point of “Lord, I want to say that I believe but I don’t know. I’m scared and I’m exhausted and I don’t know how to stand.” Yet in those moments, I felt my family and my best friends surround us and help raise Colby and I’s arms up just like Aaron & Hur did with Moses and just like the Israelites, WE ARE EXPERIENCING VICTORY! We have watched the power of prayer this week. We have seen with our eyes that the prayers of the righteous avail much. MUCH MUCH MUCH!!!! My God is faithful. FAITHFUL. I cannot express how vital and important it is to be part of a community of believers who know the Word of God and declare it with authority!

Finally....our baby girl is here and she’s so so so beautiful. I can’t stop crying when I look at pictures of her. She arrived a little differently than we had planned and it’s created quite the opportunity to trust the Lord right out of the gate. But I mean, how perfect right? She belongs to Him first and she belongs to Him always. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for Colby and I and our sweet little PERFECT ANGEL BABY! This is not a time for, “I’m sorry for what you are going through.” Please, don’t be sorry for us. We are experiencing the glory of God in these hospital rooms. We are taking ground for His kingdom in faith, in prayer and in worship. We are watching the same God who called Lazarus to rise out of his slumber move on behalf of our daughter. HIS daughter!! Because of His great love for her! Stand with us, pray with us and watch with us as we see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!! That is the God we serve and that is the God who promises good to us; to never leave us or forsake us. ❤️ Romans 8:31"

This was written by a young woman who had been taught relentless faith in the time of trouble. And, look at Jillian's, the grandmother's words: "It’s one thing to face your giants; it’s another to stand beside your children as they face their own. This last week has been overwhelming. Not because of the pain, uncertainty or fear of great loss. I’m overwhelmed at the fierce faith I witnessed overwhelm my daughter at each “negative report”. I am overwhelmed at the fight deep inside her rising up time after time, fiercely denying fear access to alter her faith. Her unwavering trust in God that pierced through the cloud of doubt that tried to linger. Joining her in prayers of faith and songs of worship while FaceTiming her husband who was at a different hospital with angel baby. Overwhelmed with gratitude that we did not quit, give up or take our faith for granted over the years in her raising. Overwhelmed with great joy in stepping aside and watching her begin a lifetime journey called “motherhood“ and now training her daughter how to fight the good fight of faith."

I am stirred up more than ever to be a faith-first, praying mother and grandmother for my children’s and seven grandchildren’s lives. When we pray according to God’s Word, like those prayers prayed for Sydni and baby Charlotte, we are in line with God’s will, enabling us to pray with power and wisdom. The praying changes not only the lives of our grandchildren, but us as well.

As crazy as this world is and as topsy-turvy our own little worlds might be, instead of wringing our hands in distress, we can pray—regularly, intentionally, specifically—trusting our children and grandchildren into God’s faithful care. God’s way is perfect…. “He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.” (Psalm 18:30). We can stand in the gap, praying for the spiritual, emotional, and physical protection of our precious children and grandchildren. We are not hopeless; we have a God who is “our refuge and strength, our stronghold in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

So mothers and grandmothers (and dads and granddads), let's unite, pray and believe because God is faithful, we can breathe in His peace while we wait for the answers to our prayers.

Train Them in the Way They Should Go

From the very start of her life, our daughter was loud. I mean crying-out-loud loud. When she was a baby, she cried because she was a very sick baby and later when she realized she had a brother that loved to annoy her, she was loud with her shrills and squeals when he as much as touched her.

"STACI!" I'd shout to out-shrill her. "Please stop screaming! And, I mean now!" Later my husband and I heard her belting out the song "Jesus loves me this I know" in the bathroom in perfect pitch. We knew we had a gift from God on our hands. We could see clearly that God was up to something and what the enemy had meant for evil with a Cystic Fibrosis diagnosis, God meant it for good. (Genesis 50:20) She was soon 100% healed.

We were young parents who realized God had given us a great responsibility to cultivate the gifts that were in our children. We were praying parents who sought the Lord earnestly concerning His plans for our their lives. In time, He revealed our children's natural abilities to us. Ryan was a natural born salesman -- winning all kinds of awards for top sales in Cub Scout Scout-A-Rama tickets and other school fundraisers. We were his accomplices when we drove him door to door to give his sales pitch and I was his bookkeeper. And with our daughter's ability to communicate in song and word was enabled by parents who continued to do whatever we could to open up doors of opportunity for her.

When Staci was very young, she’d sing little songs on stage at our church and her school. She was in school musicals and the choir. At 12, she started winning talent competitions, landed TV shows and commercials. Our son gravitated to real jobs in sales where he thrived. They are both in those areas of life today.

We were taking our cues from scripture. Proverbs 22:6 gives specific instructions on developing the God-given potential embedded in every child. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." I believe that verse is meant for their life and spiritual purposes.

In essence, parents are responsible for investing in their children the love, guidance and structure that can one day produce a life fully committed to the Lord in all they do. As we lead them "in the way they should go" -- according to their unique personalities and natural giftings -- they will live fulfilling lives.

We need to imitate Eunice, the mother of Timothy, the apostle Paul's prodigy. Her godly influence on Timothy created an ironclad commitment that would seal his faith in Christ. Eunice's devotion to that challenge carved a place for her in biblical history, and Paul remembered: "the genuine faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and that I am persuaded lives in you also" (2 Timothy 1:5). Like Eunice, parents can help their children fulfill their purpose in life by intentionally nurturing them. Here are some ways I encourage you to nurture yours:

~ Pray with your children daily.
~ Demonstrate unconditional love, regardless of their failures or successes.
~ Shun performance-based acceptance, and avoid forcing your unfulfilled dreams on them.
~ Spend quality time imparting character-building traits that will stand against the toughest temptation.
~ Talk with your kids about their day at school, their homework and their future goals or aspirations.
~ Find opportunities to hone your child’s natural abilities. I promise you – they have those – painter, writer, talker/speaker, leader, singer, musician, etc.

Parents who are vigilant in their pursuit to raise kids who love God and who will use their gifts to serve Him are trusting God for the outcome. So the next time your child has their stuffed animals lined up and she is teaching them or your child wants to create a meal in your kitchen (no matter how many pots and pans they have out and how messy your kitchen is), don't stop them -- encourage them. Applaud them. A loving and devoted teacher or a master chef may be in their future. Only God knows what's in the making. We get to plant the seeds and water them – God gives the increase!