God made us to be in relationship with HIM and with one another.
We see this in innocent children as they eagerly meet and interact with new people of all ages.
Without proper nurturing, children fail to learn to be considerate of others and to show respect to one another.
For healthy relationships, each party needs to think of others more than self.
Fellowship flows out of healthy relationships.
Two people can have a relationship, but it takes a minimum of three to have Fellowship.
Fellowship is expressed in community and often develops out of common interests.
I think of Fellowship predominantly within the context of Christian faith. Most likely because Christians are commanded to love (care) for one another, live a life of service, and think of others more than oneself. These are all elements of Fellowship.
Thus, Fellowship is a by-product of Christian faith as we are instructed how to live.
Sin abounds as people focus on themselves instead of others.
When we are hurt by other people, emotionally or physically, we tend to withdraw from them.
The more a person is taken advantage of by others, the more fearful they become to have a relationship with anyone, much less to have Fellowship with a group of people.
Wounded people struggle with being in Fellowship with others because they are wary of being taken advantage of again and again.
People who have been deeply wounded and taken advantage of need a lot of patience and forgiveness extended to them because their experiences have conditioned them to live according to the ways of this world, with a focus on self, making things happen to ensure they get what they need to survive in a world of winners and losers.
Opening the door of Fellowship to those hurting from their past experiences can be as simple as a warm smile or recognizing them by starting a conversation to get to know them. We all want to be known for who we are as a person, valued by God.
Each of us should continually be on the lookout for opportunities to extend a hand of Fellowship to others, especially to those who never had nurturing and training to live in community with one another.
Learning about community starts in the family. The larger the family the easier it is to train up children to share, respect one another, pitch in, and serve. Again, all are characteristics of Fellowship.
The best example of Christian Fellowship to me was when I moved my family to Spokane, Washington. I reached out to a body of believers in Spokane. They found us a home to move into and helped us unload the truck with all of our home furnishings. We were warmly included as part of their local Fellowship while we were there. And three months later they helped us load up a truck to move back to Kentucky.
They provided very practical help to us and welcomed us into their community in an area where we previously had no personal relationship with anyone. This is true Fellowship.
Let us never tire of being salt and light to the world, extending the hand of Fellowship to others for them to learn by our example how to live in community, helping one another be all God created each of us to be.
