3 Lessons Lois and Eunice Can Teach Moms About Raising Good Sons

_{Sometimes the best parenting lessons come from unlikely sources! Read what Lois and Eunice can teach us about raising good sons like Timothy.}

When my husband and I went into the ultrasound office that wintry December day, I just knew they would tell me we were going to have a girl. But, nope. My second baby was another boy (and a proud one!) and I was forever to be a boy mom.

I love being a boy mom. After almost nine years, I don’t know what I’d do with lace, bows, or dresses with little frills on the bottom. I speak the language of Hot Wheels, Lego, and anything that crawls, flies, or slithers.

There is so much more to raising boys than just making sure they don’t turn out as sissies. (Although that’s pretty important, too.) I want to raise men who serve God faithfully and do what He calls them to do.

Being a mom is hard–especially if you want to be a good one. To know how to raise good sons, I need only look at Lois and Eunice in the Bible. They were a mother/daughter duo who somehow raised a powerful man of God. On their own. In the face of great odds, and against the grain of the times.

By following their example, I hope to raise sons who are like Timothy–willing, faithful, and bold in the gospel.

What Does the Bible Say About Lois and Eunice?

While Christian mom circles talk about Lois and Eunice pretty regularly, we only read their names once in the Bible.

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

2 Timothy 1:5 KJV

But that one verse tells us almost all we need to know about this little family who raised one of Paul’s most trusted followers. Paul loved Timothy like a son. In fact, he addressed his letter, “To Timothy, my dearly beloved son.”

Paul entrusted this young man to be the pastor of the church at Ephesus. How did Timothy gain the faith and strength he needed to earn the trust of such a great man of God?

His mother and grandmother gave it to them.

3 Lessons We Can Learn from Lois and Eunice

We often hear sermons and songs about the faith of our fathers. But the faith of mothers is just as important. Mothers generally spend more time with their kids than anyone else.

This means they have more influence in their lives. It’s up to us, as mothers, to make sure we are using that influence to raise our sons to love and serve God.

Here are three lessons we can learn from Lois and Eunice about raising godly sons:

Have a Faith That’s Real.

Kids have a way about them. They know if a person is a fake. Especially if that person is their mom.

All the prayer, praise, and worship you do in public mean nothing if you aren’t living it in private. You may be kind, and generous and bake every cookie for every bake sale.

But the person you are behind closed doors is the real you. And if that person is what Proverbs calls an “odious woman” your kids know that. (Proverbs 30:23)

Paul says that Lois and Eunice had an “unfeigned faith.” They were real. Those women didn’t put on a show in public. They lived their faith at home.

Having a faith that’s real isn’t about perfection. If it was, you and I both would be without hope. Thankfully, we know that God has the ability to fill in the places where we fail. And we fail often.

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

As moms, we can rejoice in knowing His grace is enough to make up for our weaknesses. Real faith means we recognize these weaknesses and give them to our Heavenly Father.

Teach the Scriptures from a Young Age.

We may never truly know the impact Scripture has on the lives of our children. They are never too young to hear the Word of God. Even very young children can memorize short Bible verses.

In 2 Timothy 3:14-15, Paul says, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Paul says he knows Timothy began to learn the Scriptures from the time he was a child. Who taught him the Scriptures? The two women who raised him with an unfeigned faith: Lois and Eunice.

Through reading and learning the Scripture, Timothy learned about and came to salvation. Every Christian mama prays for her children to come to salvation.

In verse 16 Paul continues, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

The Word of God has the power to help our children grow into the men and women God wants them to be. But before they can grow, we must give them the Scriptures.

Teach Bible verses to your kids while they’re young. You’re impacting their eternity.

Don’t Let Circumstances Stop You.

The Bible tells us that Timothy’s father was a Greek. We don’t know how involved he was in Timothy’s life, but we know that he didn’t contribute to his son’s faith.

Timothy’s mother and grandmother didn’t let that stop them. Even though their circumstances were far from ideal, they didn’t give up. They continued to raise Timothy in the faith.

The world we live in right now is not ideal for raising kids. There are people who want to teach our precious children that things the Bible says are “wicked” are perfectly normal and acceptable.

They want to rob our sweet babies of their innocence and encourage them to live lives that go against God’s Word.

All it takes is one news cycle to see just how evil our world is. As a parent, it’s overwhelming and discouraging. I often wonder, “What hope do my kids have?”

Maybe there were times when Lois and Eunice felt the same way. If you read in the Bible all the things that were happening in the world, it seemed hopeless.

Idol worship was rampant. Roman soldiers were everywhere and could exact punishment at any time. Christians faced persecution at every turn.

But these two women didn’t let that stop them from teaching Timothy the ways of God. Even when circumstances were hard, they persevered.

Related: 7 Characteristics of Bible Mothers That Will Make You a Good Mom

Lois and Eunice’s Legacy of Faith

Lois and Eunice lived over 2,000 years ago, yet here we are still talking about what faithful mothers they were.

Because of them, we have the books of 1 and 2 Timothy and verses like “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

We can follow the example of these two godly ladies to help us raise Timothys in a modern world. Not because it’s easy. In fact, it’s anything but easy.

But with true faith, the Word of God, and perseverance even in hard times, we can raise good sons just like Lois and Eunice.

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