Everybody needs someone to help them navigate through their life. Timothy had the best of mentors in the apostle Paul, who wrote two letters to encourage him in his life and ministry. During his missionary journeys, Paul had left Timothy behind in Ephesus so that he could grow the ministry that Paul had begun there. His first letter to Timothy is full of wisdom and guidance about how to do just that.
There is an old proverb of unknown origin that speaks of a man who has fallen into a hole and sees no way out. He hollers for help. Eventually, a rugged man walks by, and upon hearing the man’s plea and seeing his predicament, tells the man that he needs to pick himself up by the bootstraps and find a way out on his own, before going on his way.