Loyalty

Well, I did it. This past Monday I went to a reputable tattoo shop and memorialized my friend Mary with a tattoo on my lower left leg above the ankle bone. She was 75 when she died in April of this year, almost 20 years my senior, but she and I formed a bond when I first started attending her church almost 20 years ago. Our pastor at the time came to call us the M&M girls (she being Mary and me being Marilyn). She liked that and every now and then she reminded me and new pastors of our bond. So that's what I got put on my leg, A brown M&M girls and purple M&M girl. The brown has wings and we both have glasses. That's just who we were. We cried together, laughed together, prayed over our children and any issues at hand together. Still we both lived our separate lives. She, devoted to her family and relationship with Christ and I with mine. I got upset with her from time to time and commiserated with her daughter over it, but Mary was always faithfully loyal. She loved me no matter how I expressed myself. She saw Christ in me even when I was at my worst, and showed me by her actions that He truly lived in me. She never showed anger towards me, even though she maybe should have. She never yelled at me, even though she should have. Mary just loved.

 After receiving the tattoo I pondered why I did it. I have family members who I love with all my heart, yet I didn't get a tattoo for them. What is it that drove me to mutilate my body so in honor of a friendship? I have a second tat on my right inner forearm, that I got in 2011, of a butterfly in honor of my friend Etta and the LiveLiving organization she founded. Again, not a blood family member. So it bears the need to understand why. 

 On this journey the Lord has me following I've come to see myself more fully every time I turn around, and the word that comes to my heart and describes the why to me is loyalty. That word has fallen out of prominence in the past several years to almost total extinction. Except for, of course, when you see movies depicting medieval times where for example, Braveheart died for love and loyalty to his king and kingdom. Thousands gave their lives for their emperors, kings or rulers out of loyalty. The disciples and thousands of believers died horrible deaths for loyalty to their King, Jesus. 

     
So, what is it about loyalty so strikes a cord in my heart that I would immortalize someone forever on my body? I looked the word up. Loyalty is defined as: to be faithful, reliable, stable, firmly established, securely determined, committed, belief, conviction, steadfastness.  In fact, loyalty and faith appear to be two sides of the same coin. The Strong's Concordance defines faith as the conviction of the truthfulness of God. Loyalty is to be faithful, trust and stand firm in your belief.

    
 It is hard to find a loyal friend, one who has your back come what may, who believes in you no matter what, who faithfully supports you and is determined to see the best within you, the Jesus within you, if you will. Years may pass without contact, but when you meet up again it is like time has stood still and the relationship is rekindled anew. 

It's also difficult to find loyalty in the workplace. Coworkers that you can rely on to cover you when you make a mistake are few and far between. When you find them, stay with them. When you have an employer that supports, encourages, and sees the best in you, urging you on to bigger and better things, don't lose track of that jewel. 

Loyalty to others and their loyalty to me is becoming increasingly more important to me the older I get and the more I discover who Jesus created me to be. I will stand next to and support a friend/coworker who does the same for me, come what may. That's loyalty. When I encounter someone deserving of loyalty they receive it wholeheartedly. Of that, I am secure, I am steadfast. I make no apologies for it. I just need to represent that loyalty in a way that also honors my Lord and I'm working on that. It's very easy to become angry in support of my friend, but that anger doesn't honor Jesus. Loyalty to Him is #1. Loyalty to a friend must flow out of that loyalty to Jesus. I remain on the journey path to fully live living.