I just had coffee with a friend of mine the other day and she was telling me about a principle of life called the Paul, Barnabas, Timothy theory.....
Have you ever heard it???
This was a basically a questioning series that challenges people to look at their relationships in life in such a way to determine if they are being fulfilled and helping to fulfill others.
Although it is not my intention to teach a Sunday School class today I do want to explore the nature of these relationships in the way they are being studied in this series. That means I am going to share a little Bible history today so that you can understand the back ground of these three individuals.'.....
Paul was the leading apostle of the modern day church traveling from town to town to develop and support the structure of Christianity in the New Testament. Think of the list of individuals in the New Testament who were impacted by the apostle Paul.
Timothy, Titus, Onesimus, Luke, and Silas.
Did this take place in a formal classroom??? Probably not. Rather, their foundation was created as Paul led them through visiting and writing to support each of those in his charge.
Who is the Paul you are pursuing? Observation tells us that mentoring is not best accomplished through a formal program. Mentoring takes place best as the one desiring formation pursues what they want.
I am not sure that the question “Will you mentor me?” is the right question. It is not that it is bad but they cannot give it to you as much as if you are willing to take it from them. Mentoring takes place as we watch, listen, serve, follow, learn, read, glean, emulate.
Mentoring is not something someone does to someone else; it is the result of a diligent pursuit of another’s life and principles. So, pursue a Paul. Look around. Key in on someone you respect!!
Barnabas on the other hand was absolutely instrumental to the development of Paul. It is questionable if Paul would have ever succeeded had it not been for Barnabas who stood up for Paul to the other apostles stating that his transformation from being a persecutor of Christianity was a real one. Barnabas represents someone you can truly commune with. Those people you allow into your life who you can trust with those things that the outside world does not know. I think that most people do not only often miss out on these types of relationships I think they RUN from them. Our society today teaches us to always be "fine"
Question "How are you doing?"
Answer "Good and you"
Now I Remember one time a friend of mine told me that when he first came to the United States and had not really mastered the language he would get so confused because people would ask him "How's it going?" and he said I would get so confused because I would start to tell them and they would look at me like I was crazy! AND then even worse they usually walk away telling me they had to be somewhere. He said it was not until I understood that "they did not really care how I was doing" that this stopped frustrating me and I stopped answering.
Knowing that he realized that about our culture frustrates me now even as I recount that story.
Life is way too short to not allow people into your life. People inherently want to give and help others but there is not enough opportunity because everyone is "fine"!
How do we become support systems to each other in reaching our goals, changing our behaviors just simply becoming better people? Barnabas was that person to Paul and I think that the key is we need to have more people willing to be a Barnabas in this world and more people willing to allow a Barnabas into their life.
I watched recently as a MasterMind group I am in started to share their struggles through an email chain and then as soon as people expressed their challenges and hurts an outpouring from those around them took place. This outpouring was incredible for the person in need to see that they had people who honestly cared about them and at the same time it was awesome for those who were able to give and be a support for someone in need.
Just think about Christmas time; after the age of adolescence isn't there much more joy in giving to others as opposed to receiving a gift at Christmas?
This is one of the greatest callings in life is to learn to act as a Barnabas, A person others can really trust and be open and Honest with on an eye to eye level.
I sometimes wonder, Who really knows me, my feelings, my struggles, my failings?
Timothy represents an opportunity to use all that experience, failure, accomplishments, regrets and pride to help shape someones life. I have told many people many times that life to me is like a body of water which needs flowing water including an inlet and an outlet. We must have fresh sources that feed us in life like learning, relationships, role models, goals and this is like that inlet of water into your life. You must also have an outlet where you can give, share, lead and teach others so that you do not become stagnant.
No inlet you dry up.
No Outlet you stagnate.
The choice is yours......
There are Timothy's all around you just waiting for you to care. This relationship is often one sided when you carry that upper hand of giving with no expectation of return but simply a desire to give to these people in your life can be so awesome. In return I can speak from experience that I have taken on a lot of these relationships and there is a lot of satisfaction in just desiring to really help others!
Now lets get real... How does this apply to my life? I think that I have been able to do a great job at finding Timothy's through out my life to give to and I am very thankful to have had all the opportunities I have had and still have to this day. I think I have done well at finding some Pauls in my life by the definition here in this email. They are not typically people I can touch per say but they are real to me none the less. When read John Maxwell and of Sam Walton, Carnegie, Lincoln, Lee, Landry, Truman, Aristotle and the list goes on.... I see Paul's all over in my life and I am still looking for peoples talents I can emulate always!
There are some I knew personally and to this day they stand out in my mind the way they handled life and all that it encompassed.
My biggest Challenge is Barnabas... Not in Being Barnabas to others but rather allowing a Barnabas into my life. I have always been and am still happy to be a support system for people who may be Timothy's but also for people who I often commune with on eye to eye levels. My challenge is I do not open myself up enough to those around me allowing them a chance to give and I have been on this quest lately. Surprisingly the more I approach this direction of my life the more clarity I have. The more peace I find, The more PURPOSE I find.
I was talking with a friend of mine last night and he reminded me of a story I told him that happened a while back in my life..
In High School I had a Young Life leader (Christian group in many public Schools) who had decided to make me one of his Timothy's... I was probably not the easiest choice he ever made but he was relentless and to this day I would hold him as a Paul in my life.
This guy was so popular and well loved. He was the leader of all of the Young Life leaders for 3 states and eventually went on to run a large part of the organization in the United States. I saw people clammer to get close enough just to talk to him on every occasion I was with him.
He made this statement to me when I was 17 and I will never forget it. He said "When I die if I can fill up the fingers on one hand with people I can truly call friends I will consider myself to be very lucky"
I know today that he was talking about Barnabas relationships. People he had learned to commune with and trust.
I think this starts with giving and I encourage everyone of you to find your Paul's, I implore you all to know that you must find the Timothy's you can give to starting this Hour! Your life begins with your ability to give.
The biggest Challenge of all is allowing people to know you and become Barnabas in your life just as you desire to be that for them.
Look around you; Family, Friends, Team members, Other franchises, Patients... Life is full of them as soon as we are ready to make a change!
Be a Barnabas; Pursue a Paul; Train a Timothy
Here is a link to a teleconference I had done recently that entertains this subject... (fast forward about 10 minutes to cut off the silence)
www3.gotomeeting.com/register/160115966
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