“Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.”

I wanted something different yesterday so I stopped and bought a cup of decaf tea from “Dave’s Tea” in Burlingame, CA. They had what looked like a 100 different choices and I landed on the daily special.  As I was checking out the barista (are they baristas if they brew tea vs coffee?) asked me if I would like to join their loyalty program?  She explained to me that after $100 of purchases, I would receive a bag of a certain type of tea – which I didn’t catch the name – but in my head that probably equated to around $7.00, so the program represents a 7% return.  Not bad, considering other programs.  So, I said sure and gave her my email, knowing that I would begin getting promotional offers soon.  The New York Times says that on average, a household belongs to 29 such loyalty programs.  That’s 3.3 billion programs out there, but here is the kicker, most only utilize 12 of their program cards and that number has been dropping annually since 2013.  The lesson here is don’t assume that just because someone says and looks like they are loyal, that they really are.  Or, put another way, never assume loyalty.

Solomon tells us that loyalty is a virtue that sits next to kindness.  Many of the best people I know have a sense of loyalty about them and when push comes to shove that loyalty comes into play, in a good way.  As I think about it, Jesus also modeled that loyalty with His disciples as they feel asleep on Him and then even denied Him on the night of His death.  He shows that to us because we need to know that He never turns His back on us and His loyalty and love for us is unbreakable and forever.  Someone, somewhere in our lives, is not being loyal to us today, but that’s okay because we have the loyal love of Jesus that is always with us.

Reference:  Proverbs 3:3 (New Living Translation)