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Loyalty is one of the most valuable of all characteristics. And it is a cornerstone in building good relationships.
Did you ever have a friend or relative who was disloyal to you? If you find out that someone who you counted as a friend has said or done something disloyal, it really hurts your relationship, doesn’t it? There’s no question that in order to build good relationships, we need this ingredient of loyalty.
Do you stand up for your friends no matter what? Proverbs 18:24 says there is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Again, in Proverbs 17:9 we see that “He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.”
Make certain that you don’t damage your relationships by lack of loyalty. Your friends and family members should know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will be loyal to them; you will stick closer than a brother. If you hear someone talking disparagingly about a friend, don’t be afraid to show your loyalty. Stick up for them. Good friends should do that.
Remember, love will cover over an offense. That doesn’t mean you whitewash sin, but you do everything you can to keep down the rumors, to keep from exposing your friend to others’ criticism. Gossip is one of the chief causes of broken relationships. If we gossip about others, we damage the relationship we have with that person and we also damage the relationships they have with others.
Someone has said, “Relationships are the sandpaper of our lives.” Well, it’s true that they are not always easy, but it’s also true that if we practice biblical principles in our relationships, we’ll discover immense improvement. I guarantee you that as you, by God’s grace, set out to be the best friend you can be, you’ll discover that what you sow, you reap; and that effort will produce great joy and peace in your relationships.
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