We see another case of the importance of a godly mother in connection with Timothy. I was surprised when I read that his grandmother was Lois, that his mother was Eunice, and that Eunice was married to a Greek. I thought, “What a sorrow this must have been to Lois, when her daughter married a Gentile!” Perhaps she might have thought, “It is all over now, because she has married a Gentile. What blessing can I expect in the home?” Well, it seems that in the ways of God, Eunice was very faithful, and she sought to bring up her children to please the Lord. We are not told whether or not Timothy’s father was a man of faith, but we see how the importance of the mother comes out. And may I say to parents here, that perhaps you have seen one of your children make a mistake and marry someone that very much disappointed you: Keep on praying...keep on praying. The Lord came in for that mother and this child. Timothy was born and he turned out to be a wonderful person in the New Testament—one to whom Paul wrote two epistles and one who walked in a great measure of godliness. How wonderful are the ways of God! How He delights to bless, in spite of our failure. But we are told about this faith that dwelt first in Lois, and then in Eunice, and it was also in Timothy.
G. H. Hayhoe (adapted)