Loyalty: Another Outspoken Rant

Loyalty. What does it mean to you? When you think about your best friends, does the word come to mind?

It does for me. To me, loyalty means:

·       Picking a side and sticking to it

·       Standing with someone even if that person is wrong

·       Being there for an individual no matter what he or she has done

·       Never abandoning the person you love

I think that’s a really beautiful word with an equally beautiful meaning. It makes me think of a conversation I had with my best friend a few nights ago when we were having a sleepover. I turned to her and said, “You know, no matter what happens, who you date, or what you do, I am always going to be on your side.”

Granted, that doesn't mean I have to agree with or believe that my friends are making the best or even the right choice, but what it does mean is that I've got their backs.

Sure, I can still tell them that I think they’re making the wrong choice, because there is nothing wrong with voicing one’s opinion. However, even if I think my best friends have made a mistake, you better bet your shiny, $200 boots that I’m going to back them up. Why? Because they are my friends. Because I believe in them. Because I love them. Because I am loyal to them. And no amount of boyfriends and break ups, choices and life experiences are going to change any of that.

That is what being a real, true, loyal friend means. And if it means that sometimes I’m standing behind someone who has made a bad decision, oh well. At the end of the day, I have what is really important: true friends who are just as loyal to me.

Because you know what? That is what makes a friendship worth it, knowing you can count on that one person to be in your corner, knowing that person isn't going to flip-flop on you the moment he or she doesn't agree with your side anymore. That is not a true friend. That is a shallow imitation of a friend. Even in the Bible Christ said, “He who is not with Me is against Me” (Matthew 12:30). If you do not stand for someone as well as fall with him, then you are really his enemy. 

And today, I’m proud to say that I know exactly who my true, loyal friends are. And I thank each and every one of you. If you go down, I’m going down too.

And heck. At least we’ll keep each other company.