Loyalty

“Loyalty is rare and it can only be proven under test.”

I love this quote and on the Back 9, I realize it is one of the truest quotes that experience teaches! I have heard it said…..loyalty is a rare things these days……after thinking a long time about it…..I think I would agree….even though in my younger days I didn’t really pay attention to loyalty as much…..

But today? In the Back 9….I can honestly say, LOYALTY is of key importance to me! I have really seen this lived out in the lives of my parents, not just with each other, but with their extended family, their church family, their friends and their neighbors. Now that they are sick and in need, a test for sure, the loyalty that they are enjoying from the people in their lives ASTOUNDS me!!

Even though my sister and I find ourselves in the “hardness” and “stressfulness” of making decisions for them and caring for them, I get the privilege of seeing the extreme loyalty of their lifetime relationships lived out on a daily basis. I have added multiple numbers to my cell phone in the last year. Numbers of their friends who now contact me to find out how they can serve and show love to my parents.

The families we vacationed with at the beach when I was a small child are a prime example. Half of those families have moved away and have not been a part of our daily lives for years…..but they have called, made the journey to visit….and showed their love and loyalty!!! It is a very touching thing for me, overwhelming in a good way. It makes me cry in the mornings during my time with God, tears of gratitude and the sense of wanting to make sure I live the Back 9 of my life very much how they have lived theirs. Full of loyalty. I often cry too, having the thoughts that one day I will have to live life temporarily without them. My memories…… and pictures will be extremely valuable!

I am reminded of the loyalty and friendship of two men in the Bible, David and Jonathan. David shows loyalty to Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9:7, “‘Don’t be afraid,’ David said to him, ‘for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.’” What loyalty that is passed from one generation to the next!

I love this definition of loyalty…..a devoted attachment and affection. The best person ever to demonstrate loyalty on earth is Jesus. His test was the cross! He was LOYAL to his Father, to die a perfect man, for me/us who are sinners. I love His promises of loyalty found in scripture.

Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am.”

And, His loyalty of sending the Holy Spirit found in John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him, for he dwells with you and will be with you.”

The “world” in scripture refers to people who do not know Jesus, meaning they haven’t invited Him to be the “Lord of their life!” The greatest LOYALTY you will ever experience on this earth is the UNFAILING LOVE of JESUS……..Invite HIM into your heart today and live and experience the attachment and affection that none can give like JESUS.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *