Nov 08 2007
Fellowship
What one step can I take today to connect with another believer at a more genuine, heart-to-heart level?
The Purpose Driven Life, p. 144
This is a tough question. I don’t know if it’s my upbringing or my personality, but I am basically a shy person. I like to keep my secrets to myself, and that includes, unfortunately, my shame and regrets. Part of it maybe through my experience with friends who let me down before. Part of it maybe cultural, being an Asian I’m always taught to be closed minded sometimes. Part of it maybe through my family, who taught me to be the strong one and always be able to support myself.
Then Jesus said in Galatian 6:2 (NLT)
Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
For me, it’s tougher to share my troubles. But God wants me to share it with others. How do I do that when I don’t know my small group friends that well? Can I really trust them? I tell my troubles to my wife; Is that enough? Maybe what God wants is that I have more than one perspective to my troubles, so I may get more than one solution.
To obey God, I plan to build a relationship with select group of people that I can trust and share with. It will take trial and error, but with God’s help, I will succeed, and I know this because God is always with me during my trials.
As a side note, in Lord of the Rings trilogy movies, the fellowship of the ring comprises of a few characters on a quest to destroy the Ring. In particular, the hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are close friends. They share the same goals, help each other, and pretty much go through hell together. The best representation of their fellowship is in Return of the King, when Frodo is leaving. The emotions are at the all time high and everyone has that feeling the fellowship just isn’t the same without Frodo. To me, that’s the ultimate proof of a fellowship done right.
