Loyalty is a Gift

“Wilbur thought often of Charlotte. A few strands of her old web still hung in the doorway. Every day Wilbur would stand and look at the torn, empty web, and a lump would come to his throat. No one had ever had such a friend- so affectionate, so loyal, and so skillful.”
–Charlotte’s Web

My precious second graders just finished this beautifully written classic. I love teaching literature. I love digging between the lines of the text and connecting symbolism, allegories, and discovering characters in a way that leaves you feeling like you’ve left the novel with a new friend. 

Kleenex were needed as we shared Wilbur’s sorrow in the closing chapter of the book. Wilbur’s sadness of missing Charlotte was contagious. There were collective moments of sighs or quiet sounds of genuine sorrow about the classroom. Even the skies seemed to agree as gray clouds hovered outside. 

When Wilbur knew that Charlotte would not live, he took her egg sac for safekeeping. 

The day came after a hard winter, when the time was absolutely right in accordance with the marvel of God’s miraculous design, that the spiders emerged from the egg sac. 

Charlotte’s legacy would live on. Wilbur had done it. He had kept them safe. Protected them from the elements of the harsh winter. 

Loyalty. 

Loyalty is a gift.

One of my favorite examples of loyalty in the bible is when Joshua battled the Amalekites. As long as Moses held the walking stick God gave him above his head, the Israelites would be victorious. Time went on. His arms became weak and weary. As they lowered, the Amalekites began gaining ground. 

Here comes the rescue. The moment of victory like the spiders emerging to Wilbur’s elation. 

“But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” Exodus 17:12 (ESV)

Wilbur didn’t question whether he should save Charlotte’s children. He just embodied loyalty. 

Aaron and Hur didn’t question Moses either. They upheld his arms until the going down of the sun. They just embodied loyalty.

“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 (ESV) 

Fictional characters of our favorite novels become our friends forever. Wilbur and Charlotte’s loyalty provides a lasting reminder of the beauty of loyalty lived out in friendship.

The loyalty of Aaron and Hur provides a lasting reminder of their determination to put others above self as loyalty humbly urges. 

Loyalty?

Yes, loyalty is a gift. 

Father God,
Thank You that Your loyalty to us is not contingent upon our circumstances. Your loyalty is the ultimate gift. You are always with us and we are lavishly loved by You. Help us to learn from these examples and live out loyalty well to those around us.