If I were Timothy, this would be my second letter to Paul

Dear Paul,

I love how you always start with thanksgiving – it’s such a great place to start. It’s good to remind ourselves that whatever we are going through right now and whatever we will have to face in the future, we always have so much to be thankful to God for.

I thank God for you too. You are like a father to me. You are my father in the faith. You’re right, my mother and grandmother are incredible women of God and gave me a firm foundation of faith, that’s for sure. But it was you that believed in me enough to honour God’s calling on my life and allow me to travel and work with you. Yes, I’m always sad to leave you and miss you so much when we’re apart – and yes, I do cry sometimes and that’s OK. I chuckle to myself and tell myself that I’m a great example of how it’s OK for men to cry!

The greatest thing we have to be thankful for is that promise of life in Christ Jesus, isn’t it? Without a faith in Jesus, we are never truly alive, never living our best life. God has called me to live that life of following Jesus and to share about that life with others. And so, however tough it gets, I remind myself that that is the will of God for my life and that He is the provider of all the grace, mercy and peace I need every single day.

Paul, you are an inspiration. You are right to have a clear conscience as you look back over your walk with God and what you have achieved. You have been a shining example to me of how it is done. I hope that I, too, will lead my life in such a way that I can regret nothing.

Thank you for this letter, Paul – you have no idea what it means to me right now!

Paul, you’re such an incredible writer! You pack so much into just a few sentences! So many truths! I intend to re-read extracts from your letter every day to remind me of why I’m here and what I’m doing.

I love the idea of ‘fanning into flame’ the gift I have been given by God. It’s God’s Spirit, I know that, but His Spirit manifests itself in different ways in each one of us and through different characteristics and skills and talents…and it’s up to each one of us to fan that spark into a flame to burn bright for our God. And each one of us can experience God’s power, love and self-discipline in whatever He has called us to do.

There is nothing to be ashamed about! Whatever situation you or I find ourselves in, there is no place for shame! We’re living the life, aren’t we? The life God intended for us to live. Living life to the full as God intended. It may not look like that to other people, but the joy lies in the fact that whatever is going on on the outside, we can know for certain that God has set us apart/made us holy to be an example of how to live in His grace and peace and love.

I know you know all this already. I guess I’m setting it down here for my benefit, affirming outwardly what you and I both already know. But that I sometimes forget!

Thank God for Jesus! He is the reason we do what we do. He transformed our lives with His resurrection power and continues to work in us every single day. I will ‘guard the good deposit that has been entrusted to me’ – another great image. I have been given a precious role and responsibility and I intend to cherish and treasure and nurture that.

I had heard that certain people wanted nothing more to do with you. That must have been heartbreaking for you. It’s amazing how suffering can chase people away. I’ve been thinking about it. Some people stay away from people who are going through a hard time, because they don’t know how to support them. They’re afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing so they do nothing at all. Some don’t want to be dragged down by the suffering of others. Some don’t want to be reminded that following the Way may involve personal suffering (and probably will!). They push those who are suffering into a corner so that they can entice people to faith with talk of promised health and wealth and happiness. Some start to have doubts in God, because they can’t bear to see you, God’s faithful servant, treated in this way – what kind of God is this that would allow that?

You know all this, of course, and it doesn’t make being abandoned and forgotten any easier. I guess it’s about giving thanks for the faithful few who’ve stood by you, as you are already doing. It may not be the people we expect (or even want!) who meet our needs and bring us the comfort we need and practical support. But all through your ministry, God has always provided. I’ve seen that firsthand and it has been a great encouragement to me. I cannot imagine what it is like to be imprisoned, to have your freedom removed in this way. I wish you were not going through this suffering. I wish I could come to you. But know that I will never abandon you. I will always stand by you and the faith that you profess.

I’ve been reflecting on all you’ve written here – the soldier, the athlete, the farmer. All of these individuals work hard and train hard according to the rules and demands of their role. A soldier knows whose orders he needs to obey and is prepared to face suffering if necessary. An athlete can only win the prize if he plays by the rules. A farmer works hard in accordance with the seasons to sow and water and harvest at just the right time. All these roles take obedience and self-discipline. And that is what is required of us as followers of the Way and what we need to be passing on to others.

This is not an easy life we have chosen. You know that better than anyone. But it is the best life. Even though you are chained, God’s word is not chained – what an important lesson for us all to learn! Whatever we are going through, that does not define us. What defines us is our identity in God’s word, which can never be bound or damaged or destroyed. We can cling on to His word and His grace, whatever we’re facing right now. Praise God!

We have the hope of glory in our hearts and it is the desire to share these glimpses of glory with others that drives us forwards. Everything we do and say matters. Everything we do and say has consequences. That’s what you’re getting at, isn’t it? Whether I consider myself a soldier, an athlete or a farmer, I have a role to play and I need to dig deep and find the determination and self-discipline to get the job done.

Paul, have you heard the phrase ‘be immaculate with your words’? I heard it recently and I’m reminded of it as I read what you’ve written to me here. For each word that we speak and write is important – each and every word. Each word needs to be weighed before it is spoken. I get to hear about many of the arguments that take place among the believers and you’d be amazed to discover what they find to argue about. Actually, you probably wouldn’t – you’ve had to deal with your fair share of disputes too! People leave the community for the smallest of reasons. They choose to take offence – yes, they choose, because they could first choose to seek reconciliation. The time spent arguing over words when they could actually be getting on with sharing God’s love with others…it frustrates me so much!

I’ve seen how godless chatter destabilises and undermines our community of believers. Issues are blown out of all proportion. The seeds of doubt are sown. We profess to be a people of love, but there is very little love in the way we speak to and about other people at times. It’s easy to get drawn in and hard to stay pure, immaculate with my words. But that’s what I want – to have a clear conscience so that God can use me whenever He sees fit.

Be kind to everyone: that’s a great place to start, so simple and yet so effective. And yes, so hard!

And then there are the people who profess godliness but their lifestyle says otherwise. We need to look at how people treat others to know if their professed love and loyalty to God has any foundation. No one can be deemed to be spiritual because of their knowledge of the Scriptures if they mistreat others in any way. I’ve had to distance myself from those kind of people – their words are seductive but they have no idea how to love others. You get to learn how to see through this superficial spirituality, however impressive it seems at first.

So yes, let’s all continue to strive to be immaculate with our words!

You’re right, Paul, I don’t think anyone knows you better than I do. I’ve seen it all. And I’ve seen how God has been faithful to you and never abandoned you. You never promised this would be an easy life – for you or for anyone else. Following the Way has not spared you from discomfort and suffering. Quite the opposite!

As you say, all any of us can do is rely on God’s work to equip us for every good work. His word shows us exactly how to live life as He intended, a life of love in action, a life crammed with acts of kindness and generosity and compassion and love. I wish those who use God’s word to beat people over the head about certain behaviours (concentrating on certain things and ignoring the glaring faults in their own lives) could see that the purpose of God’s word is to equip us to do good and be good for those around us.

I find it hard when you talk about the future – particularly a future without you in it. I don’t know how to do this without your encouragement and instruction. I can only do my best, I guess. None of us can control how people respond to what we say. There are loads of other people out there with very persuasive messages, that’s for sure. All I can do is keep doing what I’m doing – preaching the truth as it has been revealed to me.

You’re talking as if your life is already over. It’s not. I sense how weary you are with this life and how you long for the life to come. I get that. But I need you, Paul. I’m not ready for you to go. Stay at least until I can get to see you one more time.

I strongly sense how abandoned you’re feeling right now, Paul. I promise I’ll come as quickly as I can and will bring what you’ve asked for. We’ve said it before, but you really do get to see the loyalty of others in testing times, don’t you? Some people just haven’t got what it takes to stick around when the going gets tough – they haven’t got the courage to stand with you or the compassion to comfort you. There are so many temptations and distractions, aren’t there, and it’s so easy to get caught up in those and lose sight of who and what are really important.

Of course, we have One who is always there, always standing at our side, always giving us strength – what a God we serve! But we need human company and comfort and compassion too. We were created to live in community, not alone. I pray that the right people will be sent to you – including me! – who will be able to meet your needs right now.

I get that you feel the need to warn me about certain people and I will be on my guard, but we trust in a God who protects us at every turn, right? We know that we will spend eternity in His presence and nothing can separate us from His love and take that promise of a certain future with Him away from us. My soul sings as I write those words.

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

And so I reach the end of your letter and of this response I’m writing to it. Thank you so much for reaching out to me with your encouragement and instruction. It’s been just what I’ve needed right now.

I’ll pass on your greetings, of course I will. Everyone will be glad to hear your news. I’m so sorry to hear about Trophimus. Send him my love and best wishes. And to all the others.

I so want to come to you, but there are things to sort out here first. These final words you’ve written feel like a reminder to me and to you that we are never alone. We are surrounded by people who care for us and look out for us, whether they are physically with us or far away. And of course, God is always with us both. There’s such comfort in knowing that, isn’t there?

Never alone. That’s the promise. So whether I make it to you before the winter or not – and I get how gutted we would both be if I don’t – neither of us will ever be alone.

May God give you the grace you need to get through this day and every day.

All my love,

Timothy