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Faith of a Mother
May 18, 2019
"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." II Timothy 1:5
The Apostle Paul is reminding Timothy of his spiritual heritage. Timothy was influenced by godly women, his mother, and grandmother. Paul sees "real" faith in this young man that was planted in his heart by these two women.
I also have been blessed by godly women - my mother and grandmother. My grandmother, Clara Allen Bowling, was a loving, soft-spoken, gracious, Christian woman, whom we called, "Mom Bowling." She had many grandchildren but always succeeded in making each one feel special. What a blessing it was when she came to visit! Every act of disobedience or talking back to our parents was met with her smile and a soft rebuke from the Word of God.
During one of her visits, I dropped a gum wrapper and walked on without picking it up. She called me back and lovingly reminded me the Bible says to honor your parents. Then with a smile, she told me my mother had enough to do without me making more work for her. Needless to say, I picked up the wrapper! I never realized it then, but she was planting seeds of faith in our tender, young hearts.
God blessed my grandmother to live one hundred and one years. She had the opportunity to not only plant seeds of faith in her children and grandchildren but also her great-grandchildren!
God could have placed me in a palace, and given me the title of princess. He could have given me rich and famous parents that would buy everything my heart desired. But I am eternally grateful He placed me in the humble home of Henry and Georgia Lipps. They could only give me the bare necessities, but they gave me something money cannot buy - faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
My mother became a Christian before my dad did. She had two good dresses. In the hopes that she would get to go to church, she kept one of them washed and ready every day. She loved the Lord more than anyone I have ever known, and she would have gone to church seven days a week if possible.
She raised nine children, three boys, and six girls, in the fear and admonition of the Lord. She taught her daughters to be modest, be careful where we went, and what we did. Her favorite quote was, "Don't let your good be evil spoken of." Romans 14:16
Irving Berlin was one of America's favorite musical composers. In addition to familiar favorites such as, God Bless America
and, Easter Parade
, he wrote, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
, which still ranks as the all-time bestselling musical score. An interviewer once asked Berlin, "Is there any question you've never been asked that you would like someone to ask you?" "Well, yes, there is one," he replied. "What do you think of the many songs you've written that didn't become hits? My reply would be that I still think they are wonderful."
My mother did not raise any children that became famous, rich, nor powerful. But above worldly achievement, she placed a higher value on our spiritual success. She sowed seeds and faithfully prayed until she saw all nine of her children come to faith in Jesus Christ.
In the last years of her life, my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We kept her home and cared for her four years. We were given a lot of information on the disease, and none of it was encouraging. But I thank God, most of what we were told to expect never came to pass. My mother never became mean and hateful. Anything you did for her, she responded with a smile and a thank you.
James Dobson's mother also had Alzheimer's. One day he asked her doctor, "Why is it that most days my mother doesn't speak, but if I mention praying, she prays as fervently as she ever did?" The doctor replied, "That's the part of her life that she cultivated the most, and that will be the last to go."
I saw that happen with my mother. She forgot who I was, but she never forgot the Lord. As long as she could talk, she prayed. My mother had chosen the "good part," which Jesus promised would never be taken away. (Luke 10:42)
During World War II, powerful bombs fell right in the center of London, and buildings were completely leveled. When the debris was cleared away, there was earth in the center of London, and flowers sprang up in the bomb craters. Botanists had thought these flowers died a hundred years before, but their seeds had lain dormant under the city, and now flowers came back that men had considered extinct.
Through her words and prayers, my mother planted a seed in her grandchildren. In some of them, that seed is still lying dormant. I have three sisters that are in heaven. They also planted seeds that they never saw spring into life. But as mothers and grandmothers, we must never give up praying and planting the seed of faith.
"O mothers, teach your children the Word of God. It may spring up after many years. It may bear fruit unto eternal life after you are dead and gone. The impression a praying mother leaves on her children is life-long." D.L. Moody
If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently? The question was asked in a survey of people aged ninety or more. Of the many answers given, one was mentioned the most: if I could do it over again, I would do more things that would live on after I die.
My mother was known for many things, including her wit, and hospitality. But her unwavering faith in Jesus Christ and the seed of His gospel that she planted, lives on in the hearts and lives of her family.
Charles Spurgeon once said, "Scripture frequently sums up a man's life in a single sentence."
In loving memory of Georgia Ellen Lipps, January 24, 1919 - January 23, 2004
"Her children arise and call her blessed" Proverbs 31:28
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