Where Have Your Friends Gone? Part 11.

Paul has already told Timothy that he is being poured out like a drink offering and that the time of his execution (his ‘departure’) is very close. He now calls for him to come to him urgently.

“Do your best to get here before winter….” (2 Timothy 4 v 21)

“Timothy come quickly, come now, I need you here promptly.”

Paul likely understood that in the ancient world, winter meant more than just cold weather—it brought all travel to a complete halt. If Timothy failed to arrive before the harsh season began, he wouldn’t be able to make the journey until spring returned. And Paul sensed he wouldn’t live to see another spring.

In a broader sense, winter is perpetually approaching. Not always the winter of death, but seasons of lost chances, unspoken words, and delayed presence that stretches too long.

How often do we act as though the people we cherish will always be available to us? We defer the visit, postpone the call, avoid the hard conversation. We behave as though everyone important to us will remain accessible tomorrow, next month, years from now. Paul recognised a deeper truth. He grasped that love must work within time’s boundaries, and his time was dwindling.

This sense of urgency extends beyond mortality, though death certainly brings it into sharp focus. It reflects the truth that every relationship unfolds within distinct seasons. Children mature and establish their own lives. Parents grow older and require more care. Friends face crises that can’t wait for our schedule to clear.

Paul’s appeal strikes us so deeply because of its precision. He didn’t simply say “visit when possible” but “arrive before winter.” Before the opportunity vanishes. Before conditions make it unreachable. Before the moment passes forever.

History doesn’t tell us whether Timothy succeeded in reaching Rome before Paul’s death. Yet the very request reveals something essential about love’s character: it carries sacred urgency because it recognises how easily opportunities can slip away.

Who requires your presence before their winter arrives? The moment to act is now.