One of my favorite things to do is review case studies. This is where a practitioner gives a detailed analysis of a client’s medical history, symptoms, test findings, protocol, and outcome.
While reading 1 Timothy 5:23-24, I noticed the protocol Paul gave to Timothy: using a little wine for his stomach and often for his infirmities, which led to a series of WHY questions.
Why was his stomach upset, and why did he often have infirmities?
When evaluating a client’s health history, you consider the whole person: physical, mental, and emotional history. For today, we are evaluating his ministry…
We know he’s a young and somewhat inexperienced pastor.
There is no written scripture to cover the situations he’s dealing with in his church, so he's winging it.
He doesn’t have a phone to call Paul and discuss the situations he’s dealing with.
Then he gets a letter from Paul, which gives a lot of reproof and instruction on some heavy topics.
He was dealing with issues like people teaching other doctrines, women’s apparel, and subjection to authority, as well as the requirements of bishops and deacons.
He was also addressing those who departed from the faith and the crazy things they were teaching. He was dealing with the difference between young widows and widows indeed.
Then there was Hymenaeus and Alexander, the blasphemers. He had a lot of spiritual warfare going on.
Let's face it, dealing with people is hard! Situations like these take a spiritual, emotional, and physical toll on the body, mind, and spirit! No wonder his stomach was in knots and he was often sick!
What was happening physically to Timothy was that the sympathetic nervous system was responding to mentally perceived threats or confrontational circumstances. When activated, it increases heart rate, elevates blood pressure, and releases adrenaline, cuts off digestion, and shuts down the immune system.
The problem is when we stay in a state of anxiety, and the body can’t return to homeostasis, the "rest and digest" mode, which appears to be what was happening to Timothy.
Pauls Protocol:
First, Paul reminded him to nourish up in the words of faith and a good doctrine. I see this as a spiritual nourishment; when we're not well, our time in the word can sometimes be put on the back burner.
Next, he instructed him to refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and told him that bodily exercise profits little. Don't let other interests and hobbies distract you from your calling.
Then he begins the famous “Let no man despise thy youth” challenge. Here, he reminds Timothy that taking action in exhorting others and using the gifts he’d been given helps keep our minds off our troubles.
Lastly, he told him to use a little wine as a medicine. Something to help calm the mind and nervous system. This indicates to me that he was seriously struggling!
Through the Holy Spirit, Paul must have known Timothy was on a slippery slope because he said, “...for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee.”
I hope this is helpful if you’re having mental and emotional stress. Timothy is a perfect example that mental stress does happen to believers and those in ministry.
For more tips on managing stress and anxiety, read “Stress-Busting Techniques to Calm the Mental Chaos.”
0 Comments