Timothy

This afternoon I wanted a bit of quiet time with God.  I sent the kids upstairs and settled in my favorite chair with a cup of iced coffee.  

They were not quiet…*sigh

I wasn’t sure where to read.  The children and I have been reading in Genesis at bedtime and I had been slowly reading through Galations.  Something told me to flip to 1^st Timothy and start there. 

As I was reading through the biography (written in the side notes) about Timothy the description of his relatives struck me.  It mentions his mother Eunice, his grandmother Lois, and briefly his father a Greek.  I’ve known this about Timothy but it never struck me before like it did today.

In 2^nd Timothy it goes on to talk more about his grandmother and mother and the influence they had on Timothy.  It doesn’t mention much about his father; if he was present or not.  We do know that he was a Greek, not a Jew like Timothy’s mother.  The chapter gives the impression of the influence his maternal relatives had on Timothy.

Why is this so meaningful to me?

I have a fear that my children, especially my sons, will not have the understanding of how to be a man; let alone a Godly man.  But these books in the Bible clearly show that with the right amount of teachings, love, discipline, and prayer, a son who is raised in a home where there is a single mom does have a chance at making it. 

Maybe being raised by women, or influenced by women, is what made Timothy the excellent minister he was.  He was raised with compassion, understanding, and love.  

What else struck me was how in the letters to Timothy, Paul kept calling him ‘my son through faith’.  We can clearly read in these letters how Paul was instructing Timothy (and now us) how to become a better minister, a stronger Christian, a more effective follower of Christ.  Paul knew that Timothy needed encouragement, needed direction, and needed support.

We don’t know if Timothy’s father was around or not.  But we can guess by the scriptures that his father was not a religious influence on him.  Paul stepped up to the role of a spiritual father to help Timothy learn to be a Godly man.

I have had someone step up and become a spiritual father.  In all honesty, I’m not sure where I would be or what would have happened to me in the past 2 years had this man not taken on the role. 

It also gives me hope to know that while my children don’t have a father who is present, an adopted spiritual father can be as effective and possibly even more so. 

Maybe God had Timothy and his story planned for all the single moms who are raising boys; all the mothers who are trying to raise sons with a father who may be present in body, but is not present when it comes to spiritual matters.  Maybe these two small books of the Bible, which have so much wonderful instruction for all of us, also have encouragement for mothers written between the lines. 

Today has been a good day. But boys will be boys and they are ornery.  Some days I get weary with the constant energy, constant noise, constant taunting and teasing.  Some days I wonder how I will ever get them raised into men; men who are Godly and strong spiritually. 

Reading Timothy’s story gave me hope.