Loyalty Fruit

Hello Everyone!

As we celebrate Memorial Day, I think of the men and women who served and even gave their lives for this country.  That’s the epitome of loyalty.  They defended this country to protect it, future generations, and us.  Even at the expense of their own lives.  Isn’t that what love is all about? 

One of the greatest gifts we can give anyone is our loyalty to them.  In good times and in bad.  No one is perfect, but the question is, can we overlook others failures – especially when they fail us?  Can we look at the good and not concentrate on their shortcomings?  Only then can we be loyal to that friendship.

That’s when our friends can count on us.  That’s the best gift!  They know that if they have a need, a problem, or just need to talk  – we’re there for them.  It’s when we see their name on caller ID and pick up the phone whether we’re busy or not- even if it’s not the “convenient” hour.  They are nore important to us.  They know that we’ll do anything we can to help them.

Loyalty seems to be a forgotten word these days and “temporary” seems to have taken it’s place.  Marriages, families and friendships seem to have no glue to hold them together.   It’s not in vogue anymore to remain loyal.  Yet aren’t we supposed to be like Jesus, created in God’s image?   He’s the most loyal of all.

He doesn’t give up on us when we fail Him.  He’s always there for us, whether day or night.  He shows us love when we don’t deserve it.  I think He smiles at us when we do the same for others.  I think that’s what he loves most about us.

However, do we give up on Him when things don’t go our way?  Do we get mad at Him, reject or blame Him?  Do we stop loving Him?  So often we wonder why God let something happen or didn’t give us the desire of our heart – only to find out years later that He always has our best interests in mind.  I’ve been there at times, praying for something and then realizing later that instead of giving me my desire, He saved me from it!  I can remember years ago, Bill applying for a job that he wanted and didn’t get.  We wondered why until several years later, the building he would have been working in was one of the buildings that was damaged in the 911 attack.

Loyalty is one of the best expressions of love.  To be loyal, you have to be forgiving, patient, long suffering, and have self-control – not even noticing when others do things wrong.  It contains the fruit of the Spirit, just like love. 

When you’re loyal, you’re a fruit-bearer!  We think of bearing fruit as a “doing” thing, a physical act of kindness – and it encompasses that.  Yet it’s also a “being” thing – being patient, forgiving, long-suffering, etc.  To be loyal, you need these qualities.

 L oyalty to O thers Y ields A bounding L ove

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Blessings, Evelyn