There’s a story told of four scholars arguing over Bible translations. One preferred the King James for its beautiful, eloquent English. Another favored a version for its literalism. A third loved the penetrating precision of another. Then the fourth scholar grew quiet, and finally said, “I’ve always personally preferred my mother’s translation.”
When the others laughed, he didn’t back down.
“She translated each page of the Bible into life. And it is the most convincing translation I ever saw.”
That line gets me every time.
I see that translation lived out in my own home. My wife Charity has a way of greeting our toddler girls each morning that I can only describe as a gift.
It doesn’t matter if she’s exhausted, if they’ve been up twice in the night, or if they’ve crawled out of bed earlier than any human should be awake. Her response isn’t irritation. It isn’t a sigh or a guilt trip. It’s a warm embrace, a soft voice, and a love that looks remarkably like the one described in 1 Corinthians 13, that “beareth all things” without keeping score.
She’s not just raising girls. She’s translating truth into life, one early morning at a time.
“A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.” — Gaspard Mermillod
This is exactly what Paul had in mind in 2 Timothy 1:5, when he traced Timothy’s faith to “the faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice.” No seminary degree. No published curriculum. Just two women who lived it out loud, day after day, until it took root in the next generation.
Because faith is just as much caught as it is taught.
Moms, you may not always feel like you’re doing enough. The early mornings feel invisible. The patient responses go unnoticed… except they don’t. They’re being watched, absorbed, and translated by little eyes that are learning what love, faith, and sacrifice actually look like in real life.
You are the most convincing translation they will ever read.
The words of Proverbs 31:28, “Her children arise up, and call her blessed,” don’t happen overnight, but rather because of a thousand small, faithful moments that felt ordinary at the time. Moments when you respond under pressure, love when you’re tired, and trust God when life is hard?
So remember today, you don’t have to be a perfect mother. Lois and Eunice certainly weren’t.
But you are the mother God specifically chose for your children, with your history, your faith, your scars, and your story.
Lean into that calling. Live it out loud. And trust that the translation you’re giving them today is quietly shaping who they’ll become tomorrow.
To all the moms this week — Happy Mother’s Day!
