Loyalty

Loyalty is a word figuring prominently in today’s world of politics.   Expecting loyalty is understandable for those in leadership positions.   However, loyalty oaths can be no more than lip service, if the oath is not sworn with serious intention.  

Here's an oath worth considering: “I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.  I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”  Of course, this is the vow a man and woman make to each other when they stand on the altar before God and pledge long-lasting love and commitment.  This is a loyalty oath exchanged by couples they every intention of keeping.   

When I serve as the celebrant for a wedding, I often remind the bride and groom of some of the “rules” for a marriage that endures.    Here are two I’ve taken from Larry Brown, a teacher at Cape Cod Academy:

(1) You need friendship plus desire.  Have desire without friendship, and you have one wild weekend…but a long-term disaster, and
(2) Think of your love like a savings account.  You want to make at least seven deposits for every withdrawal…seven acts of tenderness, kindness, and heartfelt compliments.  The withdrawals are the times you disappoint each other or tick each other off.  And there will be withdrawals.

When these “rules” are followed, loyalty comes easily.    We should never expect or demand loyalty.   We must deserve it.  We must earn it.  

Deacon David Pierce