"I have been 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. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline."
-2 Timothy 1: 5-7
Not wanting to give my entire testimony at the moment, or to share too much information about any one person, but I do want to reflect on these verses, for I am so encouraged by them! For some people reading in the Timothy's, they look for "meaty" passages and lose sight of the more subdued words (not that portions of God's Word is in anyway less important than others, but if you know God's Word and you are a believer, I think you catch my drift.... There are often times that we overlook certain verses, but it seems like lately I am even more so encouraged by the "subdued" or smaller verses.)
My grandma is one of the most amazing women of God that I have ever met in my entire life. Her heart for her family, her church, and her neighbors is something that I strive for. When my parents first got married, they lived with my grandparents. My mom had grown up Catholic but did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. God used my grandma to talk with my mom about God's Word, who Jesus was, and what it meant to be a Christian. Through their time together, my mom came to know the Lord and was baptized as a follower of Jesus Christ. Through that passing and cultivating of the faith by my grandma to my mom, my mom has passed on the knowledge of faith to my sisters and I. Through my mom's commitment to the Lord--despite some very hard times in all our lives--I came to know the Lord and has since committed my own life to serving Him.
Timothy's faith was cultivated by the faith of his grandma and mom, and I am encouraged that my own faith (and how it came about) reflects that of Timothy's.
Please pray for blessings over these ladies. My grandma has recently just gone through ovarian cancer and is now cancer free at the age of 75! The last time I talked with her, I asked her how the cancer experience has affected her: did it affect her faith, does she now feel stronger in her faith, etc. She said, "Ya know sweetheart, I just told the doctors 'No matter what happens, it's a win-win situation. If I die, I get to be with the Lord, if I survive, I get more time with my family.'" She said that if she was affected by anything, it's that people saw Jesus in her and that she was a witness to everyone who was involved. Whoa. Only someone who truly trust's God and His plans can make a statement like that. Pray for my mom too. Honestly, what parent ever plans for their child to be a missionary? I don't really ever see myself being rich in this world, or living the typical "American Dream". I want to follow God wherever He leads, whether that is in California, in Africa, or anywhere else. Pray that God would continue to minister to my mom (and my family) through His Word, His people, and His Holy Spirit. It has been awesome to see my mom trusting my True Parent in all these crazy adventures of mine. May that trust become ever stronger as the summer goes on!
I am blessed by the women of faith that God has placed in my life and excited to see how I will one day pass on the faith for my future children.
"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." -Proverbs 31: 25-31
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