Over the past 2 -3 years many people have lived a life that they never thought they would live. From living a normal life to living quarantined in our homes. From community to isolation. From being unified with people to unexpected arguments among friends over politics, vaccines, gender identity, Supreme Court rulings, and causes of inflation. Many of us have found ourselves more irritable, more unsure of what the future holds, more opinionated and more unstable in being confident of who they are. As a result many of us have become more self protective, more guarded, and more skeptical. Most of us would not label ourselves as thriving.
So, what do we do when we find ourselves unsure, not ourselves, lost in purpose? Whether you are a Christian or not, I believe a great source to go to for comfort, solidity, or peace is the Bible. The following series of posts are some keys to how we can thrive in 2022 through the Truth of 2 Timothy. As with anything in these days in our culture, the words of the Bible will only be as useful to us if we trust them to be true and refuse to argue with them.
5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Key 1 – Invest In What Matters
Timothy had a great family background, he had been raised to know about Jesus and at some point he had made the decision to follow Jesus. Timothy was a young man, living in a world that was drastically changing on a daily basis, Chaos was everywhere. Every day there was a question on whether he would be arrested or worse. He had to be cautious in conversations he had in public, because he didn’t know who he could trust. The passion for following Jesus was possibly waning as the day to day life became more and more complicated and difficult to navigate.
Paul, Timothy’s spiritual father and mentor, wanted to encourage and support him during these challenging and uncertain days. Paul also knew his days on earth were coming to an end and there was an urgency to empower the next generation into action. Out of that heart Paul sent a letter to Timothy that we can learn from today.
Paul encouraged Timothy to remember his faith – his commitment to Jesus. Paul, I believe wanted Timothy to remember what was important to him and to spend time reflecting on that. As with most people, over time we drift away from remembering what is really important in our lives. Life happens. Busyness kicks in. Conflict occurs. Life transitions sneak up on us. We wouldn’t say we intentionally stopped believing what was important in our lives, but we also would admit that we don’t spend as much time on what is important anymore. Paul started his conversation with Timothy by resetting perspective, encouraging Timothy to remember what was important to him. For many of us, this might be a great reminder for us – are we living on a daily basis with the reminder of who Jesus is and what He has done in our lives. For Christians, this is as simple as reflecting on that moment when Jesus became real to us and we made the commitment to follow Him. For nonChristians this may be an opportunity to examine what is important to you and perhaps investigate the Truth of the redemptive of Jesus living and dying for the payment of all of your mistakes.
Paul didn’t stop there, he encouraged Timothy to fan into flame the gifts that he was given. He went further in teaching Timothy that God has given us no a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, lover, and self-discipline. Paul was not just encouraging Timothy to remember what Jesus has done for him personally, but also to nudge him into action, into living his life on purpose. Paul wasn’t talking down to Timothy, but instead inspiring him to be confident and bold in who he was and what he had been equipped to do. Paul was calling out the best in Timothy and wanted to help him become the person God had made him to be.
I believe God wants to remind us of that today. I believe He wants us to not only live but to thrive. I believe He is inviting us to start or restart our lives in living on purpose and power. For many of us we are walking through a fog and are ready to step into the clearing. The first key to thriving is to invest in what matters. We need to start with defining what matters. What is important in our lives? What do we want to be known for? What do we want to give our energy and investment into? For many of us, this is a great time to remember what is important to us and what we want to live for. Once we define that, then we need to invest into what is important. Over time we can easily drift from spending our best time, energy, focus on what we have identified as the most important and if we don’t examine ourselves, over time, we can find ourselves spending very little time focusing on what is important. If you want to thrive in 2022, don’t get distracted by the next big political issue, inflation rates, social justice issues, what your friends think, but instead refocus on what is important and invest your energy, time, and resources in that direction. If you want to thrive in 2022 we need to focus on what matters, how God has equipped us, and intentionally spend our time and resources in that direction. I believe we can move quickly from surviving to thriving when we invest in what matters.