Articles
Person Of The Week: Timothy
Probably the one feature of Timothy’s life that first comes to mind is his youthfulness. His age when he began his work and travels with Paul is not certain, but Paul refers in later years to his youth (I Tim. 4:12). So we may not be out of line to think that he undertook his apprentice role with Paul in his late teens or early 20s. But what a shaping experience his life with Paul was!
Still, we see perhaps a hint of shyness or timidity in Timothy. Paul sends a shot across the Corinthians’ bow: “Now if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. Therefore let no one despise him” (I Cor. 15:10-11).
Later, while Timothy was in Ephesus, Paul exhorts him: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord” (II Tim. 1:7-8).
My own impression of Timothy is that he had to overcome a lot of natural reservations in order to serve the great apostle. He left his family; he faced life and death situations; he stood up to potentially hostile fellow Christians. But he did it. He overcame his fear. And so can we.
