My Child

Okay, Jesus did not say the words written in the book of Timothy in the Bible. For those of us who dropped out of Bible school, we know this simply because the words are not printed in red ink. I know, it took some serious research to figure that out. My unholificated soul just wanted to make sure I was not about to lie to you about the things of God as I do not intend on getting struck down by lightning today. Or tomorrow. I admit I do not wish to ever, including today and tomorrow, plan on getting struck by lightning or dropping dead from taking communion or offering up an unholy sacrifice. If that happens, it would suck. Mostly for me. But at least I know I would get to go to heaven, even if I did mess up a few theologically doctrinated facts.

So, as I relay to you what my Children's Bible says, with no drawn out 'interpretations' or difficult to understand theories(not to be confused with the sometimes difficult to understand theologies), please to not immediately close my blog and dial up God to tell on me. I'm pretty sure he already knows where I stand on Biblical principals as we do talk everyday. He's actually the one I've been doing my Bible study with, which, I know, will not get me an accreditation from a big Seminary or University and I know my certificate is not, in fact, in the mail, but I have decided to forgo my theology diploma and just trust my relationship with my Father on this one. Well, on everything actually.

Since Jesus, aka, God, did not scribe the letters to Timothy, we find out through a very yawnful historical parade of detailed facts and background, that 1st & 2nd Timothy (along with the book of Titus) were in fact written by the Apostle Paul. I say 'yawnful' above not to discredit, disrespect, dishonor, disholify, I think I got them all, the amazing history behind the Apostle Paul's ministry, but because, seriously, you are already about to fall asleep on me & I haven't even gotten started. So, for the sake of length, I will leave it as 'yawnful' for now. Okay, for forever. I am not coming back to this post & rewriting it with a longer, more fact-packed version, so no need to check back, secretly, every day, every hour, like I know you want to.

These books of the Bible provide details of three letters that Paul wrote, one of which was to Timothy. Hence this book of the Bible's name, Timothy. Seriously, it's taken me years to try and figure out why all the books of the Bible were not simply named after the person who wrote them, but then again, I did not write the Bible. Clearly. Or it would not be such a bless-ed, anointed, life changing book of facts describing events that led to our salvation through Jesus Christ and the ability to have a relationship with our very own creator. Had I written the Bible, I wouldn't have gotten the facts exactly the way they happened. I would have colored the Word of God with sarcasm and fabricated stories where I always came out looking heroic and holy. I definitely would have written myself into the character of David.

"And she stood, bazooka-esque-sling-shot in hand, whirling it with a powerful yet graceful swing directly towards the crotch of the beast they called Goliath. Then, the mighty, majestic, Laura Logan, with her incomparable beauty, brought the giant to it's knees where it begged her to have mercy on it's wretched soul. Having no such compassion for the weak buffoon, the awesomeness of the magnificent , Laura Logan, kicked Goliath right in the..." and you see why I was not chosen to relay God's message of hope and love and wisdom to all mankind for generations to come.

But Paul was. He was a reputable, reliable kinda guy that God could trust to carry the baton of His Word into the hearts of His people. And Paul did not, as we've all done...especially,head bows in shame, me...take that baton and shoved it where the spirit doesn't shine, and by default, miss the heart of those God was trying to reach! All in the name of God, right? Well Paul did write in the name of God. He wrote a very heartfelt letter to his young protégé, Timothy, who was not happy in his church in Ephesus. Sound familiar? I don't know anyone who hasn't disliked their church at some point, including pastors themselves. Anyone who says otherwise, lied.

Timothy was, or later became, one of Paul's most constant companions to whom Paul wrote in his letter (which later became known as 2nd Timothy 2:1):

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

But they were not just words from Paul written to Timothy. They were God's words, speaking directly to us. Paul was an instrument God used to get His message to us, his children. A message that calls us out by name.

It wasn't the part about grace that caught my attention in this verse, or even that God is telling us to be strengthened by the grace in Him. It is the two words, 'my child', that struck me. I love that God takes the moment to pause in His sentence to call us out in such an endearing way. It is as if He is calling us by name saying, 'You then, Laura, be strengthened by my grace.' He does this also, because later in the chapter He gives correction and direction to 'His children'. How does a parent interact with their child, they draw them in, get their attention, specify who they are talking to, so they can get through to their child.

This is where some argue saying that this wasn't meant for us, today, to get some knowledge from, and by saying God is speaking to us, I am doing the very thing I said I wouldn't...interpret the Words of the Most High God. But seriously? If it was originally intended to be just a private letter to Timothy, why then would they bother saving it, translating it, and publishing it in the Bible? Obviously God knew how many people would suffer the same struggles as Timothy. He called us to be held accountable to the same standards and purpose as He did Timothy and His church. God knew, eons later we would be reading Paul's words, God's words, from our living room in a reader-friendly version bound in leather. He is our Father. He was reaching out to us through Paul.

God paused to call us His Child. It seems like more than ever we are being disappointed by man. We are hurt by the evil actions from the pure intended. We are being hurt by the very people we are supposed to be able to trust and rely on. We are being hurt. But not by God. Not our Daddy. He is protecting us in His fatherly embrace, calling us 'my child' so we'll understand how it is we are able to be strengthened...like a child learning to walk whose parent holds their hand as they wobble along; like a parent feeding their child nutrients so they may grow strong...that is how we make it through the hurts, how we are strengthened even when we feel defeated...by looking to our Father to hold us up and keep feeding our spirits with His love, and with His peace, and with His wisdom.

Next time you ache from disappointment, listen for God's pause. He truly knows everything we endure and cares enough to tell us so by sending His fatherly grace as a source of strength just for us, His children. He pauses for you, simply to say your name!