Friendship Vs. Fellowship

29 Dec 14

Friendship and Fellowship, two very important ships to captain, but what is the difference? Lets dive in. (three nautical jokes in the very first paragraph? I better stop now, before you make me walk the plank...) (4 jokes)

So! What is a friendship to you? Good people, shared interests, ease of communication, etc. Right? That's great! We all need those people in our lives so we aren't constantly alone and grow up to be bitter old people, living in a run down house, spraying children with garden hoses every time they walk across your lawn... (Though, that last bit does sound like fun.) I love my friends, I don't have a LOT of them, but the ones that I do have I value. As the old adage goes, "It's better to have a few REAL friends, than to have a lot of FAKE friends." My friends and I are pretty real. We pick on each other, we lift each other up, (physically and emotionally...Eric Puyear...love you bro.) We are there for each other in good and bad. But! Most friendships really only scratch the surface of what they could be, and I'm not saying that surface relationships are all bad, and Im not saying that you have to get deep and philosophical ALL the time...What I am saying is... don't be afraid to, when necessary.

That's where fellowship comes in...specifically, fellowship in the eyes of God. If you want to build true, long lasting, thick and thin relationships, you need to dig past the surface and go deep. Really get to know the person, be vulnerable, accepting and willing to help or be helped. Going through life alone is a terrible way to live, especially when there are people out there that are more than willing to be real with you. Knock down you're barriers, get out of your shell, whatever you want to call it.

I have the privilege of meeting with three very special friends on a nearly weekly (for two) and monthly (the other one) basis, and when we meet, things get real! I'm not going to lie and say we don't talk worldly, surface stuff at the same time, but what I am saying is the main conversations we have are about life, God, whats wrong, whats right, and so on.

My friend Trevor and I have been meeting nearly every Saturday morning for the past 2+ years and we have yet to run out of things to talk about. Why? Because God is always creating something new in us. Whether it's a concern about work that we help each other out with, or a praise and blessing that God has given us. There's always something that comes up that keeps us occupied and satisfied with how good God is.

Onto the aforementioned Eric Puyear... Eric and I try to get together Saturday nights. Sometimes we just hang out and watch classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, but other nights we talk...and when we talk things get crazy (in a good way.) He is so open and willing to share with me about his life, present and past, and that is so encouraging to me, he really helps me open up.

Last but not least, The man...The myth...The legend...Justin Ocker. Oh...boy....Do things get real when J.O. comes to town. Justin is the one that started knocking my walls down...and I was NOT happy about it in the beginning. I didn't want to open up, I wanted to live in my own perfect little bubble and he saw right through me. He started launching mortars, grenades and ever other kind of weapon he had in his arsenal of awesomeness at my wall, and eventually it was so destroyed that he was able to just push it over... (some how I left the nautical theme and enter a war movie...don't worry about it, stick with me.) And I love him for it.

I can honestly say, without these three bros, I would not be where I am today.

Without Trevor, I wouldn't have matured in my walk with Jesus, I would have just left well enough alone. Now, I can't go a day without telling someone, something about Jesus. Whether its a co-worker, a family member, or someone on the street.

Without Eric, I would never have experienced what a real church family is like. Eric's love and compassion opened my eyes to see others at church, others around me, my family included and reminded me that it's ok to be loved, its ok to be vulnerable, its ok if you get knocked down, because someone will always be there to pick you back up.

Without Justin, I would be trapped inside a wall of fake. Only letting my real feelings out on Saturday mornings with Trevor. Sitting in the back at church, not getting involved, not communicating and not being in fellowship.

So, in conclusion...Go out, make friends, cherish these times together. Be silly and surface when the time is right, but never be afraid to hit the deep end...That's where the truth comes out.