Timothy

Dear Timothy

Have you ever wondered where your name came from?

The story is quite simple: your dad's name is Paul, and he's always wanted a son named "Timothy". And here you are.

What's the connection between the two names? Glad you asked. Let's have a look at the Bible, shall we?

There are two books in the New Testament named Timothy. The first is 1 Timothy, and the second is 2 Timothy. Logical, right? The two books are actually letters addressed to a Timothy who lived long, long ago, and was a co-worker of a man named Paul. Paul was quite a bit older than Timothy, and he often referred to Timothy as "my son". That's how close they were. I would say your father has hopes that you and him can also have a close relationship when you're older.

You should also know that your father prays for you a lot, and that he wants you to become a man who loves and follows Jesus wholeheartedly. He loves you a lot, Timothy. He loves to spend time with you doing all kinds of things, and gets so much joy from your existence; your smiles, your laughs, and the wonder you show as you learn new things.  He works hard to provide for you and me as well, so he doesn't get to spend as much time with you as I do. But he still loves you so much.

Paul and Timothy were both Christians, and they worked as missionaries in what is today Asia and parts of Europe. They traveled around to various cities, telling the people they met about Jesus. After travelling around with Paul for a while - and while he was still quite young - Timothy was put in charge of a church. Paul wasn't with him at that time, but he wrote to Timothy to give him advice on how to run the church, hence the letters we find in the Bible. 

One thing that Paul mentions in the Bible is the role Timothy's mother and grandmother played when it came to instilling faith in Timothy when he was a child. You are definitely blessed to have not one, but TWO grandmothers of faith AND a grandfather who can teach you all about what it means to believe in Jesus, and who have been praying for you since long before you were born. And then there's me, your mama. I'm already trying hard to model a life of faith for you. You've seen and heard me pray, though you might not have fully understood what was going on. Bible reading is tough at this stage, and I'm far from a perfect mama, but I am a work in progress, and God still has enough grace and love for me, despite everything.

We'll talk a bit more about who the biblical Timothy was in another blog post. Till then, I will always be

Your Mama.