Faithful Moms with No Name: Your Legacy Matters More than Recognition

In this powerful finale to our "Moms of the Bible" series, author Rhonda Stoppe tackles one of motherhood's greatest paradoxes: pouring your heart into raising children who will one day live without you—often without others ever knowing your name.

Drawing from the unnamed mothers in Scripture, including David's mom and the mothers of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Rhonda reveals how the most influential cultural changers often come from quiet, faithful homes where moms prioritized biblical truth over public recognition.

Discover why helicopter parenting might be robbing your children of the very courage they need to face their giants, and learn how to raise kids who can fail and recover under your watchful eye before they face the world alone. Rhonda challenges moms to reject apathy, embrace urgency, and understand that your ministry isn't about earning applause—it's about equipping the next generation to stand strong when everyone else bows to cultural pressure.

Whether you're a fearless mom, a flawed mom, or a faithful mom still finding your way, this episode will ignite fresh passion for your God-ordained calling in this generation. Your name may never make headlines, but your influence will echo through eternity.

TO WATCH Rhonda presenting this content on her YouTube Channel click HERE.

Join the conversation at @RhondaStoppe and share in the comments how you're raising world-changers in your own home!

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"This podcast is for the purpose of mentoring only and is not a replacement for therapy. We suggest you seek out the help of a trained biblical counselor for help with your specific situation.”

Transcript

Rhonda Stoppe [00:00:00]:
Hey, friend. I cannot believe that we are on chapter 12 of my book, Moms of the Bible. I hope you have enjoyed this book as much as I have. I absolutely loved. I've written a lot of books, but this one is my favorite. This one I hope outlives me. I hope that my grandchildren will be giving it to their grandchildren one day. Because it's profound truth based on biblical principles and the word of God.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:00:26]:
And these moms of the Bible who have passed their legacy on from generation to generation to generation have passed it to me. And now I'm passing it on to you. I love that. Thank you so much for spending this time with me. Thank you for reading this book. Thank you for telling your friends about this book. I'm praying that you have a small group that you can bring together to do this book together. I promise you, when you do a book together with a book club, whether it's virtually or in person, that, that moms will actually read the books.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:00:55]:
I always meet moms and say I'm not a reader. I get that. In fact, that's why this book will be out as an audiobook too. But you can come together with your mom friends and you can watch these videos. You can discuss the lessons in the back of each chapter and you can help each other grow as moms that I know you long to be. Let's jump into chapter 12. Faithful moms with no name. It wasn't long ago that I was on an air force base with my husband and my son and my daughter in law.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:01:22]:
And as we were on this base, my husband, my son in law is a. I mean my son. My son, he's a lieutenant colonel. And as we're on this base, all of a sudden he wasn't in uniform. But when he showed his. What do you call that? Identification when he, when we went in on the base, they just started saluting all over the place and all this respect for him. And I was like, wow, that was kind of cool.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:01:44]:
Guess what they didn't do? They didn't salute me, they didn't acknowledge me. They didn't say, hey, are you his mom? And hey, we want to know. They don't care. They, they don't care. His. My influence on his life, they know nothing about it. And that's what happens. Our children, we raise them and so often our name isn't going to follow them.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:02:02]:
People aren't going to know who their mom was. But here's the story. I don't want to miss David's mom, David, remember we talked about him fighting a lion and a bear before he killed Goliath. Did you ever wonder about his mom, who was behind this courageous young man, how maybe she might have responded when she even learned about his life, how he had been in peril? I mean, if I heard my son had fought a lion and a bear, I don't know if I would want him to keep going and taking care of his father's sheep. I'm afraid I would have responded and told his dad, somebody else is going to work for you. He's not going out there anymore. I'm going to keep him safe. Are you with me? But remember we talked about those lions and bears that God sent into David's life are what God used to prepare David to battle that giant, to give him the courage to know his victory was not in his own strength, but in the strength of his God.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:02:51]:
I'm afraid my lack of faith, my fear driven parenting would have certainly put my helicopter hat on. Helicopter mom hat, right? And protected my boy from the big bad wolf. But David's father sent him to the battlefield to bring food to his brothers and expose David to danger again. As it turned out, David fought this giant and he won this battle. And I love that whole story. But here's the thing. They never, ever, ever mention David's mom's name. Not in the Bible.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:03:19]:
We don't know who she is. There's a couple speculations that I talk about in the chapter, but for the most part, you don't know. Like Jochebed's, Moses's mom, and Hannah was Samuel's mom. There is no mom name associated with the most amazing man that God called a man after God's own heart. Right? We don't know her name. I don't know. I can't wait to meet her one day in heaven. But here's what I want you to know.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:03:41]:
God calls us to equip our children to grow in their faith and he wants us to go through the hard stuff with our kids. He wants our kids to grow in their faith. And it's sometimes easy to intervene when another kid's being mean to them or yell at another mom across the room because your kid didn't get invited to the birthday party. I've actually had a mom do that to me. I've heard moms withdrawing their kids from an activity before their kid had a chance to face their fear. And it enables them to endeavor or to become out of their comfort zone. You know, my. My granddaughter winslet I talk about Winnie.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:04:18]:
I love Winnie. She's just a sweet, gentle soul. She reminds me a lot of her, of her daddy. Winnie was mortified when it was time to stand on stage and sing with her classmates. She was terrified. But with her mom's encouragement, she got up there. And then a year later she went up again. She was still a little bit nervous, but she sang with her class again.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:04:39]:
And then last Christmas, I am amazed. I went to church where her daddy is a worship pastor and all of a sudden I did not know this was going to happen. She summoned her courage one more time and Winslet walked on stage at her daddy's church and she sang a song with her daddy and her brother. Every time Winnie got on stage in front of people, she grew bolder. My point that I'm telling you this cute story about my adorable granddaughter who's about is just because I want to brag about my granddaughter. No, it's because I want you to understand that causing them to do something out of their comfort zone is sometimes so helpful. My granddaughter Ruby was just in a competition. We have something in our town and it's called Apricot Fiesta.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:05:23]:
And Ruby competed with that. And her talent that she had to get up and show was so cute. She got up and baked brownies for her talent. It was adorable. And she talked all the way through and she told us how to make brownies. It was amazing. But here's what I want you to know about that. Did you know that 75% of people are terrified of public speaking? Terrified.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:05:45]:
I wonder how many of them could have maybe conquered this fear when they were growing up if their mom had gently nudged them to try, even if they were afraid. I know that many hardships are more difficult than simply helping your child overcome stage fright. I get that. But yeah, you could respond by not rescuing your children from every difficult experience. I've experienced. Moms who keep their kids under such lock and key and keep them in such a bubble, they literally do not know how to recover when they fail because they've never failed while they live in their parents home. And what happens when they go to college and they don't get an A on all those exams or they. They fail, they literally shut down and drop out or I've seen it over and over again.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:06:30]:
They have to learn how to fail and recover under your watchful eye or they don't know how to do it. God entrusts our children to us and he wants us to make them faithful by watching us in circumstances when we're fearful to push through and not to be faithless. If your trust wavers and mine does occasionally remember, if we're faithless, God remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. That's 2 Timothy 2:13. I love this. And the mom of the Year award goes to what's her name? And that's where it's talking about David's mom. She gets. Doesn't even get an honorable mention.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:07:09]:
It's just crazy. David talks about her in Psalm 86, 16. I love this. He says, turn to me and be gracious to me. Give your strength to your servant and this and save the son of your maidservant. In this petition for God to show his strength on David's behalf, you get a little bit of a glimpse of David's precious acknowledgment and honor and respect for his mama. David was calling his mom God's maidservant. He was celebrating that she was a pious woman, devoted and committed to her faith in God.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:07:39]:
Wow. I love that. Let that be said of us. Let our children say that about us. Some of the greatest cultural influences are quiet, faithful and godly moms who have raised their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Don't miss that. Some of the greatest cultural influences are your children. And God's called you to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:08:08]:
He's called you and me to the ministry of motherhood. He's called us to live with a sense of urgency. Apathy is your enemy. The time is now. You only have a very short season to pour into your children a biblical worldview, a love of scripture, a love of worship, music that honors Christ, a love of others, and a love of God. And how are they going to learn it? How you live your life as they see that lived out in you. Can you do it on your own? Absolutely not. Could I? No.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:08:42]:
I would have destroyed my marriage. I would have ruined my kids. I would have raised my kids for what other people think of me. And here's the thing. Older mentor in my life one day told me, never raise your kids for what people think of you. You'll ruin them. I needed to hear that. I'm a middle child from way back, and I am a people pleaser.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:08:58]:
And I would have raised my kids for what people thought of them. I didn't know I was going to be a pastor's wife when that was advice was given, but I am so happy that someone brought that to my attention or I would have raised my children for what their father's church thought of him by how they were dressed, by how they acted. And how many pastors kids want nothing to do with the ministry and walk away from the church after they've been raised in a pastor's kid home, a pastor's home, because they have been set up to to be the example. And that's not what God's called them to do. And if you're a pastor's wife, let me just give you a little insight. Your ministry is to the minister. Don't burn yourself out serving every single person and saying yes to every single thing in your church. Your ministry, your first and foremost ministry, is to the minister.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:09:41]:
Say it with me. I minister to the minister. And those of you who attend church. And you look at your pastor's wife and say, why doesn't she sing in the choir? Why doesn't she clean the bathrooms? Why doesn't she work in the nursery? I don't know what it there's always some complaint about a pastor's wife who's not doing enough. Guess what? She don't work for you. She works for the Lord. And she is the one person that the King of Kings has called to minister to the servant that he called to minister to you. Does that make sense? Yes.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:10:06]:
I am on a soapbox. I'll get off of it now. I also love the story about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and Daniel. They wouldn't eat the king's food. How did these teenage boys have the courage to stand against the king and say, we're not going to eat that food? I would love to know who their mamas were. I would love to know the influence that got them to the place when all of the other Israelites who had been taken prisoner went ahead and ate the food and just did whatever they were told to do. These four men had courage to say, no, we're going to obey the Lord rather than men. And those same Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we later see them saying that they will burn in a fiery flame.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:10:47]:
Over bowing to the king, the king said to them in Daniel 3:15, if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the God who will deliver you out of my hands? And I love this part. Shadrach, Meshach, and abednego. In verse 16 through 18, they say this Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, oh, Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us out of your hand, O King. But if not, be it known to you, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. Wow. If you've never read Daniel Chapter three, stop right now.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:11:31]:
Go read it. It's amazing. You'll be amazed how God showed up in these fiery flames and rescued those young men. But to recap, understand this. Daniel and his friends likely grew up under godly parental influence that gave them a biblical foundation upon which their identities were founded in honoring God rather than fearing man. Implanted in their young hearts was a courageous confidence that led them to stand for what was right. Even when everyone else bowed to the King's pressure, those men stood. Ultimately, their success didn't rely on their parents supervision, rather upon the biblical training they had received during their youth.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:12:13]:
The same is true for our children. Never discount the time you pour into them to keep them walking. In truth, I promise you that you will one day reap a benefit of that if you would just pour into your children and spend that time with urgency. Apathy is your enemy. Don't just scroll your phone. Don't just watch tv. Don't just turn on the TV in the car. Use that as a time to ask them about their day, ask them about their friends, listen carefully and help to redirect their thinking toward a biblical worldview.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:12:53]:
The last mom that I want to talk about, the mom with no name. It's you. I'm gonna cry. It's you. My heart is so filled with hope for the next generation when I consider the influence that you will have as you raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The influence of unnamed moms has shaped nations. Inspired leaders, nurtured artists, motivated ordinary children to accomplish extraordinary achievements. Mama, this is your God ordained time in history.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:13:28]:
Listen to me. This generation needs you to selflessly embrace your blessed calling of motherhood, to bring up courageous, righteous children. I know it seems mundane in the dailies of the motherhood life, but please don't lose sight of the valuable investment that you're making into your children, your grandchildren, and into future generations. Remember my my son's military subordinates didn't have any idea who I was. As it should be. And one day your children's story will too. They will only know that you raised them correctly, but they won't know your name. Motherhood is uniquely mysterious.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:14:08]:
It's a ministry and it's one that you pour out your heart and soul into someone you cannot live without to equip them to one day live without you. That makes me cry. You equip them to. You can't live without them, but you equip them to live without you. Wow, that's motherhood in a nutshell, isn't it? Can I just review for a minute? Let's review this whole book about moms and their walks of life in the Bible. I don't want you to forget how good or bad that every one of them were. I want you to understand the influence not only in their children, but on the generations that followed. Let's look at some influential moms that we've spent time with in these pages.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:14:48]:
The fearless Mom. Remember Rahab? She went against her culture. She fearlessly hid the spies, and she trusted their God. Jochebed released control over Moses future. And when she sent his tiny basket away from her protection into God's care, Mary, the mother of our Lord submitted to God's plan. At the risk of Joseph's disbelief and the rejection of her peers, Esther exclaimed, if I die, I die. She was willing to sacrifice her life to save God's people. Her influence as a stepmom would bring a blessing to her people through Artaxerxes.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:15:22]:
Let's talk about the flawed moms. Herodias vengeful ways influenced her daughter to make horrific requests for John the Baptist. Head Lot's wife loved earthly comforts, which cost her everything. Her worldly influence was passed down to her daughter, who thought nothing of having an incestuous relationship with their father. I didn't talk about that, but it's in the chapter. If you've read that chapter, you know that ultimately their actions birthed two nations who became Israel's greatest foes. Rebecca played favorites, tricked her husband, betrayed Esau, manipulating her situation, and it split her family. And Jacob had to flee.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:15:59]:
She never saw Jacob again, and as far as we know, she never bounced his babies on her knee. Eve was deceived by Satan. She began to believe his lies. And she passed the forbidden fruit to her husband. And through him, death came on all men. And let's talk about the faithful moms. Naomi was the mother in law who got it right. When her world fell apart, she trusted God and returned to her people.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:16:22]:
Ruth observed Naomi's faith, and she was compelled to leave her Moabite land and trust in the one true God. Ruth became a shining example of a redeemed woman who had become the great grandmother of none. Other than King David, Eunice benefited from multi generational influences upon her son. When she united her efforts with her godly mother, Lois, the scriptural training that they gave them inspired him to receive the Gospel. When the Apostle Paul delivered that message to him, Hannah's despair over infertility was transformed into immeasurable influence. When God granted her a request for a son, Samuel was weaned. She kept her promise. She gave him to the Lord.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:17:10]:
He grew up to be a great prophet and advisor to Israel's King. Her story of faith continues to encourage mothers everywhere. Faithful moms with no names are scattered throughout our scriptures. And David's mom was not a helicopter mom. Daniel's mother trained him well, preparing him to stand strong when he was taken captive. Both moms have influenced countless people. Even today, they continue to be a source of inspiration, encouragement to those who read their stories of their sons. My final exhortation to you.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:17:41]:
From the beginning, God has established mothers as the first teachers of biblical truth for their children. Mom, you're the makers of a future generation. You are the one who will raise up godly men and women to transform their generation. This is your time in history, Mom. God is calling you to set aside whatever distractions from this blessed ministry of motherhood. Link arms with other like minded women who want to run this race alongside of you. Cheer each other on, pick up each other when you falter. My prayer for you is that you wake up every day inspired by the lessons that you've learned from this book.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:18:22]:
These moms in the Bible, whether they were fearless, flawed or faithful, I pray that their testimonies will ignite a fire in your soul to cause you to seek God in new and fresh ways. Mama, the world needs you. You've been appointed in history for this time. God's word will fill you with dignity, strength, wisdom and courage as you seek to raise up a generation of faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God will be with you in this journey. I pray that someday we will stand together before God's throne without regrets, to celebrate all that he has accomplished in and through our children, their children, and their children's children for the glory of God. Thank you so much for spending this time with me. I didn't get to read about some of the others moms that we talked about.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:19:15]:
There's life lessons from Noah's wife, from the widow, from the Shunammite woman. Those are all in the final lesson. Make sure you look those moms up. The mother of Mark. She held prayer meetings in her home the mother of Rufus Ruth. Rufus is a hard name to say, mentioned by Paul who was a mother to the Apostle Paul as well. I don't know what God has for you. I don't know what children he will ask you to raise.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:19:39]:
I don't know what children he will entrust to you. I don't know what children the friends of your children. The child Tony just came into our home and became our son. All I know is in history for this time. God has appointed you to be a mom that lives out your faith in such a way that it cannot be ignored and that you will pass the baton to the next generation in Jesus name. Thanks so much for joining me. Please follow me on social media at Rhonda Stoppi. You can please my web what's my podcast Old Ladies Know Stuff.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:20:12]:
Subscribe Share I love that. If you're involved in that comment, let me know my YouTube channel Rhonda Stoppe No Regrets Woman. You can watch all of these videos on the YouTube channel and of course go to my website noregretswoman.com you can find all kinds of free resources and my other books. Thank you so much for joining me in this journey of motherhood. I pray God does exceedingly and abundantly of all all I can ask or even imagine in and through your life as you ponder these truths and let the Lord change you with his truth and set you on fire in this generation. Soli Deo Gloria thank you so much.