“All people will know that you are my followers if you love
each other.” ~ John 13:35
My Dad worked nights managing a convenience store. Since Mom worked days, Dad was the one who
picked me up from kindergarten. For a
few hours each afternoon, we rode one of his motorcycles: excursions that took us
deep into the woods on his lime-green Kawasaki dirt bike or over paved streets
on the matte-black Triumph 650.
“Don’t tell your mom,” he’d say, placing the musky helmet
over my head, always promising to teach me to ride once I was old enough. Dad would turn the key and just sit for a
moment, listening to the purr of the engine.
That was his therapy.
When he opened the throttle, I grabbed his waist tighter. I remember his laugh as he scared the crap out
of me. Sweet memories I hope never to
forget.
One night changed my life forever. I was in 5th grade. Mom woke me up at just before sunrise to tell
me there’d been an accident. An early
morning fog shrouded everything in a thick white veil, the light barely managed
to penetrate the haze. A drunk driver
tried to pass an 18 wheeler . . . he never saw my Dad on his motorcycle in the
oncoming lane. The driver never knew he
had a son and a wife only a few miles away whose lives would never be the same.
Mom was devastated. She
cast her eyes to the heavens; she needed His love more than ever. "Dear God, take care of my baby."
The very next night, a group of people came to our home. Led by our Pastor, they included choir
members, Sunday School teachers, deacons, close church friends and families. They held hands and formed a circle in our
backyard and prayed. No one saw me
peeking at them from Mom’s bedroom window in her room.
I knew then God had everything under control.
We often view fellowship as what we do in “fellowship
hall.” It’s the place where we have
casual conversations and savor coffee and donuts. This can contribute to fellowship, but it
falls way short of fellowship according to biblical standards.
True fellowship involves getting together for spiritual purposes:
for sharing needs, for prayer, for discussing and sharing the Word to
encourage, comfort, and teach one another. Jesus didn't just minister to people, he
ministered WITH people.
Spend time intentionally with the people around you. Pray with them. There’s no greater gift to those you love;
there’s nothing that promotes MORE unity than presence.
Lord of all, restore us back to fellowship
with You through the blood of Christ, and bless us with the fullness of the
gospel, that we may know the wonders, teachings and miracles of Your holy Word.
Amen
