“Legacy of the Heart”
Scripture reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-5
INTRO
•S) “Hen’s that produce the best eggs owe it all to their mothers”
•Mother’s Day – varying ideas of its original context:
- Greek methodology
- USA – copied from the English activist Julia Ward Howe in her quest to bring peace after the American - Civil War
Mothers are key activists and serious contenders in shaping society
- In 1813 LAURA SECORD learned of a planned American attack to control the Niagara Peninsula. She trekked 32 kilometres until she arrived at an allied Native warrior camp who took her to Lieutenant Fitzgibbon’s headquarters and the plan was averted and most of the Americans taken prisoner in the Battle of Beaver Dams. She’s more than just a lot of chocolate!
- MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)
- MOPS! – Mothers Of Preschoolers!
- MOTHERS ACTING UP! – designed to mobilize mothers in the political arena.
If women’s slogans and clubs existed in Timothy’s day his grandmother and mother might have been members of the MOMS FOR MESSIAH Club! – Heart for God.
Facts:
•No mention of Timothy’s dad – left, had died or maybe he was simply a silent family member who would have nothing to do with this new movement called Christianity. It is surmised that he was Greek, his mother obviously Jew. This mixed marriage was plenty of reason to be the recipient of criticism and the talk of the town.
•Male role model was Preacher Paul (verse 2)…
•Close to Paul (verse 4) – images of an earlier visit and separation OR in his journeys with Paul had wept over Paul’s suffering and trials.
•Timothy’s grounding was the work of his grandmother and mother (verse 5). Paul’s confidence for Timothy’s faith was based on what Paul saw in the life and witness of his family. One source offers that “what they were had much to do with what he was.” (Speakers Bible)
THE ROLE OF MOTHERHOOD
•Lots of things can be passed down to our children – nothing is more profound and life-changing that the legacy of a godly heart passed on to our children from godly parents. Yet, mom is the most influential contributor to this process.
Fatima M. Mohamed (Dr. Abdul Karim Bangura), School of International Service, American University Washington, D.C. tells the story of a man who asked the prophet Mohammed who was most deserving of his company. Mohammed answered, “Your mother.” When the man asked the question “Who comes next?” Mohammed answered, “Your mother.” Finally he asked Mohammed, “Who else?” and the answer was “Your mother.” Finally he questioned one more time, “Who is after that?” and the prophet answered, “Your father.”
•A mother’s impact on her children is considerable
oSurvey question: “Which person had the greatest impact on you when you were a child?”
oMom – 55%; Dad – 31%; 9% to friend’s mother, grandmother, grandparents and grandfather; 4% to other family. Over 90% of people have been most influenced by a woman, primarily their mothers.
•LADIES, you are the strongest influencer in the lives of children. Consider what that means for your grandchildren; your church’s children; your neighbor’s child. Consider what that means for women in professional fields who work for the protection and care of children that they may never see more than once or twice, sometimes not at all!
•Generational impact of mothers on their children is significant
oText – Grandmother Lois didn’t know that her grandson would be a preacher of the gospel – and not only that – but he would have two books in the Holy Scriptures named after him! Generational impact – her teaching, values and example to her daughter Eunice was passed on from Eunice to her son Timothy.
•To embrace that momentous influence, gift and responsibility, MOMS – indeed all women – need to be careful not to believe the lie that society has painted.
Dr. Abdul Karim Bangura tells us about a theory in society that mothers are twice doomed – biologically when in pregnancy, because they have little control over their changing bodies during that process and socially because they are restricted to staying at home to raise children.
While that reality has altered significantly, and appropriately so, it does remind women of the amazing influence and responsibility they have for children, an influence that no one else can have no matter how hard they try. It tells women that you have not been handed a raw deal, a curse for being a woman. You are crowned with the gift of giving life and molding that life in the character and image of God-likeness!
David Brandt Berg posted an article on Activated Ministries titled, “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rules the World”. He wrote, “What an important job a mother has! The mothers of the next generation are the ones who are molding the future. Motherhood is just about the greatest calling in the world. Of course, taking care of a baby may not always seem very important, but don’t ever minimize it. Who knows what an impact that child may have on the lives of many others one day?
“Motherhood takes the strength of Samson, the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the faith of Abraham, the insight of Daniel, and the courage and administrative ability of David. It also takes the love of God, that’s for sure! What a job!
“The thing that makes a mother so wonderful is her self-sacrificial spirit that is willing to sacrifice her time and strength and even her own health, if necessary, for the sake of that child. Any woman can have a baby, but it takes a real mother to learn how to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6).”
THE CALLING OF MOTHERHOOD
•You were not simply born a female with all that accompanies female humanity. You were formed by God and with that design you were given a sacred trust, a holy calling as a woman.
•A call to be “mother superior”! - From a religious standpoint, primarily from Catholicism, Mother Superior would be “The nun or religious sister in charge of a Christian religious order or congregation, a convent or other house of women under vows.” (Widipedia)
•E.g. – I can hear someone thinking they’ve never been a mother having never given birth to their own children. The calling goes well beyond biological reproduction. The touch of any woman’s influence on a child is profound! Women have a calling from God – a calling – to be prominent women / moms / grandmothers / spiritual guardians, mentors in your sphere of influence.
•A calling to a realization that women have a profound generational influence on children that shapes the next generation and this influence is unequaled by anyone else. It is an influence that only a woman can have.
WRAP
•Scripture teaches of the profound impact women have on children
•Scripture demonstrates that child-rearing reaches into second, third, and even fourth generations.
•Without abdicating the responsibility that men and dads have toward the spiritual and social formation of children, there is a role that cannot be filled by us – only women can satisfy.
•To this, women, you are called.
