"Fullness of Joy"

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:3 & 4) There is something about having fellowship that brings a fullness of joy. When was the last time that you actually had real fellowship? Stop; I don't think you know what I mean; because what constitutes real fellowship has to do with not wanting to be somewhere else! It has to do with being where you are, and no where else. Don't pretend you don't know what I am talking about, because I know we all do it. But the fellowship I am talking about involves full participation in what is taking place, and no clock watching, waiting for the time that it is over. For me, this has been something that I have not been able to enjoy as much as I would like; but every once in a while I will have someone watching my wife, so I can go to a Men's Conference or Retreat and actually have some good solid fellowship. But even then, the desire of other things can rob me of the fellowship which is available; things like, Who's winning the Golf Tournament? Seriously, does it really matter to the real meaning of joy? or is it just one more distraction that is placed in the way of fellowship? How about having fellowship with your spouse or children? When was the last time for that? Do you know what I am talking about now? Fellowship that requires your full devotion to their life; as if you were living as part of that life, right in the here and now. I really don't think many of us even know what that means anymore, because we are so wrapped up into our own little worlds, that it is hard to expand our bubble around the ones we should, for fear that our bubble will burst. But guess what; that is what is required for real fellowship to take place: our personal little bubbles must burst! "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself." (Proverbs 17:2)