Papa Paul

Y’all. I’ve finally found something I have in common with the apostle Paul.

Here’s the back story:

I’m a little, uh, intimidated by the apostle Paul. I mean, he’s pretty intense! Plus, he’s good at everything – brilliant writer, super smart, a teacher, a pastor, a church planter, a crazy-good debater, a mediator, and I could go on and on. I mean, he’s like a Christian superhero, right? Me, I’m way more comfortable with Simon Peter – good heart, loyal, best of intentions, constantly opening his mouth when he should have kept it shut. Yeah, honestly, when I get to heaven, I may actually run the other way the first time I see Paul coming down the streets of gold.

But, as I’ve been reading and studying through I Thessalonians 2 and 3, what kept jumping out at me is,

“Paul is a parent!”

OK. I mean, we have no record of Paul having any physical children of his own, but in the middle of these Scriptures in these two chapters, it is so clear to me that Paul feels very paternal towards these people in this brand new Thessalonian church.

Now, as many of you, I’m a parent. I have an only begotten son and, just so you know, if anyone asks you, I adore him. No, really, I love him so much that I don’t really have the words to describe how I feel about him. I mean, even on his worst day, when I was so frustrated with him that I considered hanging him by his toenails, I loved him with every ounce of my heart.

And, just like all of you parents out there, I’ve loved having a front-row seat to his life – his strengths, his weaknesses, his activities, his friendships, his ability to problem solve, his growth in all ways possible, the revelation of God’s plan for his life, and on and on. But, as our children grow and become young adults, we, as parents, can experience a little anxiety about them going out into this cruel world, right? I remember when he was a senior in high school, thinking,

“Have I prepared him to be out in the world on his own? Have I taught him everything he needs to know?”

These questions prompted several awkward and ridiculous conversations, initiated by yours truly, that went something like this:

“Hey! I just wanted to talk to you about pain medicine. OK, for headaches, you could actually take any of the 3 of these medications, Tylenol, Ibuprofen or Excedrin. Personally, if I were you, I’d take Excedrin because it works really well for me, I think it’s because of the caffeine. Now, let’s say you pull a muscle, you definitely want to go straight to Ibuprofen, because it’s an anti-inflammatory. Any questions?”

Riley: (blank stare) No?

I wish I could tell you I was kidding. I just wanted so badly for him to go out in the world and be successful. I wanted to know that I had done my part in preparing him for the future. When he left for college, after making sure that he had everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - he needed for school and life at Texas A&M, and calling all our relatives who lived closer than we did and told them our plan for emergencies:

Blood transfusions, yes.

Bail money, no.

I came home and began my campaign of calling him 3-4 times per day, to find out “what he was doing” - something that I had to learn was not in my best interest, if I wanted him to tell me anything ever again. It was a real adjustment, NOT having that front-row seat to his life anymore. I mean, I was still in the theater, just way in the back.

Even to this day, at 26 years old and living out of state, if he calls and does so much as sniff too many times or cough,

Me: “Hey, you’re coughing, are you OK? Are you sick?”

Riley: “No, Mom, I’m fine.”

Me (in my head): “You’re fine? You don’t know if you’re fine, I’m your mom, I made you, I’m the only one who really knows if you’re fine or not! Don’t tell me you’re fine…”

So why do I act like a crazy person with my son? Why am I so invested in his life, his success, his future, his victories, even his defeats? Because he’s my child and I love him so!

And, this, Friends, is how Paul felt about the Thessalonians!

He’d begun a relationship with these people, based on Jesus Christ. Jesus had changed his life and he knew that Jesus could change their lives, too. But, because of situations beyond his control, namely being beaten and chased out of the city, he was unable to spend the time he wanted and felt he needed with them. So he’s separated from his “children,” and thinking about them, longing to be with them, wondering how they are doing. All thoughts that run through my mind almost every day about my own son.

And then, maybe the best part, is when Timothy returns with the report that this infant church in Thessalonica is doing great! Yay! Paul’s papa heart was brimming with joy! The same way I feel when Riley calls me with good news from his own life.

Paul, even after just 3 weeks with these new Believers, loved them like they were his own children. He was invested in them, committed to them, dedicated to their success, and ready to be there for them when they fell into sin, or lost their way a little. Papa Paul.

As I thought about Paul as a spiritual father, and kinda smiled inside thinking about this facet of his personality, I thought about our father, Father God. Now, I have been beyond blessed with a wonderful earthly father, and I’m so thankful to God for that. However, I know not all of us can say that. So, I want to remind you today, just as Paul loved the Thessalonians as his spiritual children, Father God loves us even more! He is even more committed to us, every day of our lives - when we’re the best version of ourselves and when we might be the worst version of ourselves. He always looks at us with intense love, pride, and warm affection, and longs for the closeness that we feel with our own children. He's invested in us, his desire being to prepare us for everything we will face in this life. Like the song says, He’s a good, good Father. Just like Papa Paul.