II Timothy 1:5 says, “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.”
I did not find “mother lode” in the dictionary. It is a mining term that refers to the source of a rich mineral (gold especially), usually found in the form of nuggets or flakes called “color.” The flakes, or color, are the lightest and can be seen in a stream mixed with sand. This can be in the edge of a pool or a bend in the stream where the water swirls and allows lighter-weight material to separate. The heavier nuggets settle more quickly in the dirt and rocks in the bottom of the stream. When you find color, or nuggets, you can be sure that it has washed down from upstream. If you continue searching upstream, you will come to a place where there ceases to be color. You are then in the area of the mother lode—probably in the bank or hillside nearby.
There are times when discouragement can bring us to tears. We look in the stream of our life and see no color at all. Maybe we have never found a nugget of hope. We find ourselves sitting on the bank ready to give up. Tears of self-pity run down our cheeks.
Paul writes to Timothy some wise words of encouragement. He speaks of joy that comes by remembrance. And what does he remember? Unfeigned faith! That is a faith that is not counterfeit, not hypocritical, but genuine and sincere. This is a faith that Timothy had and displayed.
After our times of faith you can be sure that a demon will rush in to rob us of it. He will tell us to never do that again. If we are not careful we will find ourselves in John Bunyan’s slough of despond.
What a blessing when an encourager comes along. For Timothy, it was Paul. Paul calls Timothy to look at a faith that is like gold; Timothy’s own faith. This faith may only have appeared as color, but just upstream from Timothy was his mother, Eunice, that was no doubt a nugget of faith. Further yet was Grandma Lois, possibly the mother lode. This unfeigned faith was good for three generations. It’s kind of like the “old time religion” that is good enough for me.
Mothers and grandmothers have a great influence on our lives. William Ross Wallace recognized this when he wrote the poem, “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is the Hand that Rules the World” in 1865. We all come from our mother’s womb. The term “mother lode” is fitting in the fact that our mother carries us for nine months within herself. This is the closest physical relationship we have on earth.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day next Sunday, let there be joy in remembering our mothers. Don’t forget Proverbs 6:20, “My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother…” How beautiful when a father and mother agree together on discipline. In Timothy’s case it may not have been so. In Acts 16:1 we see where Paul first met Timothy. Timothy was a believing disciple; his mother was a Jew and his father was a Greek. In verse 2 we see that the community was aware of this mixed marriage. Timothy was uncircumcised. That was probably fine with his father, but his mother’s religion called for him to be circumcised. For the Jew’s sake, Paul circumcised him. The father’s name was never mentioned, but it seems that he went along with his wife’s religion. Timothy’s unfeigned faith came from his mother, and hers from her mother—the Mother Lode!
