I just started 1st Timothy and read through both books when I decided to spend some time looking up just who Timothy was to Paul (the author of those epistles). It intrigued me that Paul said that Timothy was in his prayers night and day, and then the "son of the faith" bit. I knew that the title son meant a whole lot back then to those family oriented people and so it was.
And as I started finding out about Timothy, I felt connected with him. Maybe just for now, but he was the son of a Greek and a Jewess and I felt the similarity with my own situation. To me, the Greeks were a more "logic" bound society, just as my father is. And the Jews were very religious by nature as my mother is. Yet, neither of these was the path for Timothy.
He met up with Paul and all too quickly was converted. I laughed at this because I am following that part right now, in meeting up with Carol. Timothy and Paul became fast friends through their time together and Paul began to trust Timothy, telling others of how he had proved himself as a Christian.
And in 1st Timothy, Paul called him his own "son of the faith." I liked that. It denoted both closeness and hierarchic relationship. And then, by the second letter, I think they had become even closer friends or perhaps Timothy just grew up more in the faith, for Paul then called him "brother" in Christ. I liked that transition and could just see them coming together once more and seeing eye to eye as equals in the gospel.
Paul was able to trust Timothy and Timothy always followed through.
It's a great example of friendship. For Paul calls Timothy likeminded to himself and that's because they each had a relationship with God resting right in between their friendship.
