2 Timothy 1:5-9a
How to Carry On

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace.

New Revised Standard Version

There are times in our lives that seem to stop us cold. These events stun us, frighten us, and turn our firm resolve to water. We don't see how we can go on under these circumstances.

The young preacher Timothy must have felt that way. His mentor, Paul, was in prison in Rome, and this time, all his friends feared he would be executed for his beliefs and his aggressive preaching of the Gospel. We can identify with Timothy's pain and hurt, his anger at those who would treat such a good man as a criminal, and his frustration and self-doubt as he wondered how he could take on the work that now Paul could not do. It must have sent Timothy into a deep, debilitating anguish.

We, too, go through those times. As I write this meditation in September 2002, America marked the one year anniversary of such an event. Then, and now, we wonder how to go on when terrorists can take down buildings to demonstrate their hatred.

More often, though, it is the personal tragedies that double us over. We lose a loved one in death. We watch, helpless, as a relationship shatters. We recoil from a betrayal coming from one we thought we could trust. How do we go on? More than that, how could God expect us to go on?

Paul gently answers Timothy's dispair, first with a reminder of the faith that has been Timothy's foundation all his life, nurtured as Timothy was nurtured by his grandmother and mother. It is that faith, as small and unimpressive as a mustard seed, that is all God needs to work in our lives. To that commitment of faith, God adds the Spirit, and the Spirit changes everything. Paul teaches that the Spirit brings supernatural power, over our fears, over our frailties, and over our barriers. The Spirit fills us to overflowing with God's love, blessing us and blessing others. The Spirit guides us in self-discipline, giving us the resolve to carry on when our humanity won't take us another step.

It seems to me that Paul is encouraging Timothy to find the peace and comfort he wants so badly through continuing on with God's calling for his life. To back away from the calling, to find that place to hide, seems like the natural thing to do in a crisis. But at some point, we will find that we have also backed away from that same God from whom we want and need peace and comfort. The Spirit will be moving us forward, but we will be moving to the sidelines. God will have prepared for us unmeasurable blessings disguised as work, and we will have refused.

That's what makes the Christian walk so interesting. So often, we think we know the way, then God pushes us in another direction. We want to sit and deal with the hurt, and the Spirit tugs at us to go. When you feel that push or tug, my friends, go, remembering that God will go with you!