THE FIRES OF FELLOWSHIP

There was the crackling sound of burning sticks, accompanied with the light produced by the leaping tongues of the flames, resulting in a warmth given up by the kindled logs.

We were burning, we were aflame and it was good. It was beautiful. There was love, warmth and fellowship. We achieved much together; we reached for the heavens and had no limits. Indeed it was very beautiful.

There was so much harmony, grace and understanding; until suddenly my ego came alive, my pride took over and I discovered how amazing I was. I realized how excellent my personality was. Like coming out of a day dream, I became aware of my exceptional talents and gifting and felt special and different from the others. I saw the brightness of the flame and though it was my own doing. I thought it was by my effort, and mine only that I burned so brightly.

I fell into the pit of selfishness and reasoned that I was being limited by my companionship and fellowship with the others. I thought they limited my shining and hindered my glory. So I decided to go out on my own and make my own flames burn brightly. I thought the burning was by my own ability and it was I who kept the fire aglow.
Selfishly, I deserted the brethren and departed on my dream of shinning alone, on my quest for lone stardom. I considered not the others, for all I cared they could burn out and be snuffed out when I am gone.

When I was all by myself, I burned brightly; but it was only for a short while as my brightness suddenly reduced. I tried everything I could do to keep the flame alive, but it kept diminishing until it died down and was quenched.
I did everything possible to rekindle the flame, but I was only a smothering wick and all out in the cold. I was a shadow of what I used to be, just smoking as a reminder of the once blazing log I used to be. I cried and cried. I called out to heaven: “Look at what I have become”. I was cold, charred and dark. I was not illuminated, neither could I give forth light. I was void of warmth, neither could I give forth warmth.

I was frustrated, until in my desperation, I looked back in the direction I had come from and I discovered that those I had left were still ablaze and aglow. They had not burned out as I expected them to. They were still in fellowship and burned brighter than they had before I left them. In my selfishness I had abandoned them to die out. But instead of them to die out, I did. I burned out, but they glowed all the more.

In shame and humiliation I returned back to where I had departed from and to my amazement, they accepted me without prejudice and rejection. They embraced and welcomed me back to the fellowship and I was back in the kiln I once deserted.

Suddenly I was rekindled and burned brightly as I once did. I then realized that the blazing and glowing was never mine or any person’s, but was the resultant effect of the power of fellowship. The fires of fellowship is what kept us aglow. THE FIRES OF FELLOWSHIP.