Loyalty is often defined as being true to your word. That means loyalty has two parts: a promise and an action. Sometimes those promises are made for us, like when we're born into our particular family, when we say the Pledge of Allegiance together, or when parents have their children baptized. Other times, we choose our promises, like when kids make a new friend or agree to a set of classroom rules. Loyalty is all about saying what you mean and meaning what you say - both making a promise that you feel is true and right, and following through on that promise. That means loyalty can look like a lot of things! Sometimes when we encourage kids to be loyal, it means sticking by their friends no matter what happens. But being loyal can also be about pointing out when a friend does something wrong, and asking them to do better. That's being loyal too, even if it requires some conflict and work.

One of the best examples of loyalty in the Bible is found in the story of Ruth (between the book of Judges and the book of 1 Samuel). Ruth wasn't one of the chosen people of God - she was a foreigner who married into God's chosen family. When her husband died, she could have gone back to her parents. Instead, she followed her mother-in-law Naomi, who was going back to Judah. Naomi tried to tell Ruth not to go with her; it was going to be a hard journey and a hard life. But Ruth said, "Where you go, I will go; where you stay, I will stay; your people shall be my people, and your God my God." Ruth had decided the promise she made to her husband was a promise she'd made to his whole family, including Naomi - and Naomi's God! Ruth became a believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ... Continue Reading