Hello, and welcome to Five Minute Friday!
Can you believe we’ve nearly reached the end of August?! Say it isn’t so!
How many of you have kids who went back to school already? (I won’t mention that mine only start after Labor Day …) 😉
Whatever your plans are for this weekend, I hope you have a wonderful time!
The prompt for this week was a suggestion from Mollie over at Faith in Plain Sight! Thanks, Mollie!
This week we’re writing on the word:
[Tweet “Join us as we write for five minutes on the prompt, LOYAL!”]
Ready? GO!
I dare you to find someone who hasn’t been emotionally hurt or verbally wounded by someone else.
Do you think you can?
I would be very surprised if you could.
Sadly, it’s the nature of human beings, isn’t it? Even if we don’t do it intentionally, we still hurt people.
I suppose the worst is when the wound comes from someone you thought you could trust. Someone you love. It’s easy to place certain people up on a pedestal, almost to the point where we think they can do no wrong.
Perhaps they may even have a specific title, like pastor or counselor, and you think their job should make them immune to hurting others. But guess what? They’re sinners, too, just like you and me.
Jesus Himself chose not to entrust himself to any man, for He knew what was in the heart of man (John 2:24-25).
We would be wise to dismantle any disillusions, to lower any self-made pedestals, to realign our expectations.
Ultimately, our best bet is to place our hope and trust solely on the one who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:14).
He’s the only one who will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Place your hope in Jesus Christ, for He will never let you down. Ever.
STOP.
[Tweet “Place your hope in Jesus Christ, for He will never let you down. Ever.”]
Thanks for being here, friends! And guess what? Only one more month until the Five Minute Friday book releases into the world! Spread the word! 🙂
[Tweet “What comes to mind when you think of the word, LOYAL? Share with us in five minutes or less!”]
Link up your own five minutes of free writing below, then circle back and leave a comment for your link-up neighbor!
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So true, Kate! We expect certain people to be above the usual habits of men, but in the end they are only human. So glad God is always loyal to us!
PS- It was kinda fun knowing the word in advance! 😉
I thought of that verse, too! I was surprised at how few times ‘loyal’ is in the Bible, too.
Love your post, Kate. There are so many synonyms for loyal. Did you know there’s a song? I’m linked at #7. You can listen to it. 🙂
Love,
Tammy
Gr8 thoughts, K8. (Hahahaha…!)
I look at loyalty this way – I would sell my sword for a dollar, but only sell the soul that wielded it for a cause I was willing to die for.
And that cause was, and remains, protecting the innocent from the fear of the midnight knock on the door, protecting the lover from the dread of a culturally-driven assault, and protecting the child at play – whatever his or her age – from ever having to think about caution in making friends.
I have a lot of good friends lying in the weeds in places that I can’t even spell, that died for that, and their only regret – voiced and vouchsafed to me – was that they couldn’t rise and come back into the fight.
Their loyalty is their honour; their honour is their legacy. And never forget that they were mercenaries.
These, in the day that Heaven was falling,
the hour when Earth’s foundations fled,
followed their mercenary calling
and took their wages, and are dead.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
they stood, and Earth’s foundations stay.
What God abandoned, these defended
and saved the sum of things for pay.
Housman said it better than I could. I was and AM a mercenary. And I am proud of that.
EVER. Like never ever. What a beautiful reminder. And yes, it is dangerous and unfair to put other people on a pedestal and become disillusioned when they dont live up to the expectations we have placed on them. As a woman in ministry I have failed to meet the expectations of others and have been hurt. It stinks but I realize I have done it to others. Thanks for this thought-provoking post.
HE IS THE ONLY ONE! Romans 5.5 Hope in Him never disappoints! Love Five Minute Friday and your leadership!!! xo LABOR DAY? 😉
This is so, so good, Kate. And you’re right that it’s those we choose to place on a pedestal that hurt us the most, not because of them, but because of our idol-like expectations. Have been learning that the hard way…but it’s been such a freeing experience, as I’ve been able to look at myself in the mirror and receive His grace that truly does cover us all, if we’d only hold out our hands. Praise His Mighty Name.
Hi, Kate! We haven’t met yet, but we have a connection already. I was delighted to read your post last week about living in South Africa for a few years. We, too, are transplanted North Americans living in South Africa. Originally from Edmonton, Canada, we’ve lived for almost a decade in beautiful Jeffreys Bay. In fact, my husband and boys actually attended one of the World Cup Games in Port Elizabeth. The whole country was electric!
I just wanted to say “Thanks so much” for nurturing this beautiful community of FMF writers. I have thoroughly enjoyed connecting here and risking vulnerability and transparency with these people. There’s a group of us joining from this corner of the world, and we’re so grateful to be included! Baie, baie dankie!
Shauna, I’m so glad you introduced yourself! I’ve noticed your site has referred a number of visitors to mine (thank you!) 😉 but I didn’t realize you were living in SA. How fun! So grateful for your presence and participation! I look forward to getting to know you better!