For the Love of Fellowship

If you are reading this, do me a favor.

Reach out your hand as far as it will go.

How far can you reach? Can you touch a person near you? Can you reach it out to help someone or some thing? You probably aren’t much all by yourself.

Imagine what would happen if we were able to reach further, not by ourselves, but by joining together with each other. What if we formed a group that could and did help as needed, protected each other, maybe even found ways to carry each other?

That’s fellowship.

Did you know that the dictionary defines the word fellowship as “a friendly association, especially with people who share one’s interests”? But I think it means so much more than just that.

Besides the obvious Christian connotations (because of the Greek word koinonia), the word fellowship brings to mind the famous Fellowship of the Ring from Tolkien lore, among other things. That was a group that had fellowship, protecting each other even when it meant death and sacrifice. They loved without fear.

A fellowship has people who are at least loosely associated together. A fellowship is a group of people with a common goal in mind. A fellowship makes sure no one person is an island all on to themselves. A fellowship makes sure all are taken care of. There is camaraderie, but there is also love.

Yes. I said it. Love. A fellowship cannot exist without some sort of love. There has to be some sort of affection for a fellowship to succeed. There has to be some sort of accountability. There has to be a love that connects everyone in it together. But it can’t be any sort of love. It needs to be a love that does not discriminate. It needs to be a love that does not reject those who may be different or come from a different perspective. A true fellowship will embrace all that wish to be a part of it and will love all who come to it. It fears no recriminations, because it is a love without fear.

And we all need something like that these days, a group willing to reach out and help us connect with each other. After all:

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”

~ John Donne, “Meditation 17”

In the Realm of Original Magic in my Portals Series such a fellowship exists. In the village without a name, the Ruffians reside. They are the protectors of the common-born in the realm, and many of them were born without magic. But they are fierce, they are loyal, and they are also the type that love without fear. All who enter the village without malice are welcomed. Those who show their bravery and their honor are made a part of the group and loved without fear and repercussion. If you’re interested in reading about them, they first make appearances in Portal Seeker but are highlighted of the novella Ruffian as well, among others. (Okay, end of the shameless self-promotion plug now.)

What kind of fellowships do you belong to where you can be loved without fear? What kind of friends hold you up, hold you accountable, and pick you up when you are down? Do you seek out a fellowship for that reason? Or do you continue to be an island, even though you are still part of the main?

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