By John Ashbrook
Loyalty is one of the most admirable of human traits. There is almost nothing more comforting than the knowledge that you have a faithful friend who will give you genuine understanding and support in your time of need. A loyal friend is someone who you can trust to be honest with you as well as listen to your heartfelt feelings. They are someone who believes in you and accepts you as you are. Loyalty is a trait of strength that is born of love. It requires the courage and the will to honor one’s obligations to others and one’s self. Like love, loyalty is a two-way street. It demands both giving and receiving to be whole.
Just as there is something special in receiving loyalty, there is something just as fulfilling in giving loyalty.
In any relationship where loyalty is not equal, hurt and resentment are bound to come up. Many of us have felt the pain of a relationship where we have maintained sincere faithfulness but did not receive the same from our friend or partner.
It is unhealthy to carry anything to an extreme. Loyalty carried to the extreme can hinder personal growth. This is so because, in our desire to please someone else, we set ourselves aside. At some point, too much loyalty becomes sacrificial. While some giving in life is necessary and praiseworthy, prolonged self-sacrifice is ultimately self-destructive and serves no one. If you are in any situation where you have a knowing feeling of being taken for granted and you ignore the feeling, then you are treating yourself exactly as you are being treated. You are not receiving loyalty because you are not being loyal to yourself. If you have a pattern in your life of getting involved in situations where you are getting little in return, it means that you are attracting people to you who mirror your own treatment of yourself. Do not take yourself for granted, and you will not be taken for granted by others. You have a sacred responsibility to honor and be loyal to your own life and not play the victim.
Spiritual loyalty is the effort that you make to be faithful to yourself. Spiritual loyalty is an unshakable belief in one’s undeniable uniqueness. It is a commitment to recognize and explore this uniqueness and its infinite potential.
When you do what you knowingly feel is right for you and you are willing to fulfill your obligation to yourself to live in truth and accept yourself as you are in any given moment, then everything in your life begins to fall into perfect harmony. The people and circumstances of your life became a clear reflection of your own inner harmony. You find yourself giving and receiving love freely and openly.
A person who listens to and supports their inner knowing is unshaken by the opinions of others. They are clear about who they are and don’t need the approval of others.
To the degree that you are loyal to your sacred obligation to love yourself and live in divine truth, you will be empowered to give and receive loyalty, love, and truth from others. The state of spiritual loyalty always creates balance. In a state of balance, all possibilities of growth exist.
The more you recognize your own potential, the more you will begin to recognize the amazing potential in everyone. When you are encouraging your own growth, you will find ways to encourage others to grow. Everyone wins. Everyone experiences the joy of realizing endless personal growth and creative expression.
John Ashbrook
