Pray for a Paul and a Timothy

Something my old pastor's wife told me was to find yourself a Paul and a Timothy. Find yourself two people who are further along in their faith to help you in your walk with the Lord. Try to find one person that has been walking with Jesus a few years longer than you and one that may have been walking with Jesus a few decades longer than you. When I first heard this I didn't have a Paul and a Timothy in my life but I desired to have that kind of discipleship. It took me a few years to finally see that I wasn't exactly welcoming that kind of mentorship at the time. I was a Christian but still fresh to what being a Christian meant. I think I was around 22 when I started to fully understand what a relationship with God was. I had always called myself a Christian and was raised in the church but the view of God I had received wasn’t one that necessarily drew me closer. I knew what was bad and I knew what was good and whatever God thought was bad then I was sure to go to hell if I did those bad things. As a young adult, I learned that a relationship with God is an intimate and personal one. I learned that God loved me no matter what I did and would forgive me time and time again. This is one of the reasons I get very emotional when I talk about forgiveness because the same God that forgave me gave me the strength to forgive others the way He does. Through Jesus, I have softened my heart and am no longer guarded the way I used to be and I love it. I love knowing that all of my feelings now are genuine and loving at least towards most people.

With a better understanding of myself, I got more involved with Bible studies and was eager to gain as much wisdom as I could from my peers and maybe find my Paul and Timothy. I prayed for a long time to find a community of women who will love me and help Sheppard me through this life. I would weave in and out of friend circles trying to fit in but it was always so strained sometimes and at times not very genuine. I remember being in a small group and realizing that I finally felt like I had found my girlfriend group. I had finally found myself a place where there was no judgment and I loved all the transparency during our weekly discussions.

This didn't mean that I had to break off my relationships with my other friends I just realized that this group was where I was going to grow spiritually. I've seen God block friendships from my life before so I don't try to force people to stay in my life. I've learned that not everyone is for everyone and that's ok. I know plenty of people that don't like me for one reason or another. For these reasons, I say don't stop seeking your Paul and Timothy especially when you think you've found them and it turns out that maybe they weren't meant to be your Paul and Timothy.

Just this week alone my community has grown and I didn’t even have to track them down. God placed these women in my life to speak life into me and lift me in prayer. I’m so blessed for the new and old connections that this week has brought me. Having godly women in my corner helps me silence the enemy’s attacks. I know now that any group where God is present is my group even if I'm the one holding the torch and that I am surrounded by Pauls and Timothys. Thankfully I feel as if I have found my two advisors and spiritual counselors. I'm so blessed for the women that help guide me and give me perspective.

One of my friends shared a saying from an Instagram page and I want to share it here too. It says, “when you step into a room the atmosphere should shift because the Kingdom has just walked in.” Girl if you are reading this and you don’t have a community of women rallying behind you or a Paul and Timothy then know that even if you don’t you have a whole Kingdom!

Try to surround yourself with people who want nothing but the best for you. People who let you cry with all the feels and tell you that you are not alone. I just want to say thank you to all the women that have been going through this season with me since before it began. Thank you all for loving me and guiding me spiritually through it all. I’ll even open this up as an invitation for anyone reading this that if you want to grow your community then I am more than happy to be one of those people.

I constantly pray for God to place the right people in my life and for me to be at peace with the relationships that need to end. I also pray to be a godly presence to anyone I come into contact with. I'll end with this verse

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” - Matthew 18:20