Leave Self at the Door!

Last week I wrote that I really love a good play on words, whether the play on words is intentional or not.  When I wrote about the likely intentional one last week, I also had another one in mind, this time a likely unintentional one.  Here it is…

We recently came across a sign for a “Self-Realization Fellowship”.  To dissect it a bit, consider some common definitions of the words at play here:

Self:  to, with, for, or toward oneself or itself

Self-Realization:  fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality

Fellowship:  companionship, company, community, the quality or state of being comradely

Self and fellowship seem mutually exclusive.  Self can be well, just focused on self.  You typically do things and think things with self in view.  Fellowship, on the other hand, often puts self aside for the state of being comradely or part of community.

When you throw in self-realization part, the “fulfillment by oneself”, there seems to be little room for other people.  It all then begs the question, how can fellowship actually occur when all are focused on self?

Contrast the self part of things with what God encourages: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”  (Phil 2:3-4)

We are also encouraged to meet together (fellowship), not for the fulfillment by one’s self, but for the impact we can have on one another:  “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  (Heb 10:24-25)

From the verses above, an inordinate focus on self tends to displace any notion of fellowship.  In fact, true fellowship normally calls for leaving self at the door.