2 Timothy 1:4
“Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Paul longs to see Timothy again, remembering his tears at their parting, so that his own joy might be complete.
What Does 2 Timothy 1:4 Mean?
Paul recalls the tears of an earlier farewell, perhaps when the two were last separated. The memory deepens his longing to be reunited, and he names the reunion as something that would fill him with joy.
Here is the human heart of the apostle, unashamed of deep feeling. The bond between these two men is marked by tears and longing, the ordinary aches of love stretched across distance. Paul does not pretend to be above such emotion; he treasures it. For every reader who has wept at a parting or ached to see a loved one again, this verse sanctifies that longing. The affections God plants in us are not weaknesses to overcome but gifts that bind us to one another in Christ.