Are you a loyal friend?

Got this from Ee Yern's blog. It's pretty good thinking stuff that makes me think again and again, 'Am I a loyal friend?' Guess when you've hit your mid-twenties, you begin to wonder who are actually your friends. Can the security guard you say 'hi' to everyday be termed as a friend? Can your classmates (and ex-classmates) make best friends? Can Christians from the Christian Fellowship we have be termed as loyal friends? (or just a small portion that share the same wavelength, hmm I wonder)

p/s: Btw, research has shown that a lonely person is more likely to die earlier!*gasp* Better not go around with baseball bat and try to hit people to make them submit into being my friend, heheheh

Here's Ee Yern's writings..
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I came across this interesting subject while reading John Maxwell's Your Road Map For Success. It talks about being loyal. So what does it mean for others to be loyal to you?

They love you unconditionally. They accept you with your strengths and weaknesses intact. They genuinely care for you, not just for what you can do for them. And they are neither trying to make you into someone you're not nor putting you on pedestal.

They represent you well to others. Loyal people always paint a positive picture of you with others. They may take you to task privately or hold you accountable, but they never criticise you to others.

They are able to laugh and cry with you as you travel together. Loyal people are willing and able to share your joys and sorrows. They make the trip less lonely.

They make your dream their dream. Some people will undoutedly share the journey with you only briefly. You help one another for a while and then go your separate ways. But a few--a special few--will want to come alongside you and help you for the rest of the journey. These people make your dream their dream. They will be loyal unto death, and when they combine that loyalty with other talents and abilities, they can be some of your most valuable assets. If you find people like that, take good care of them.

(excerpt from John C. Maxwell's Your Road Map For Success)

I was once asked this question, "Who would be the 6 people that would carry your coffin when you die?". Those 6 people are usually the closest, the most loyal friends. During that time, I realise that I could not find 6. Like most of us, we do not many true, loyal friends in our lives. I have made a decision many years ago to invest in lives and to be a loyal friend to people around me. Occasionally, I might stumble but I thank God that I learn from every fall, every experience. How about you? Have you been a loyal friend lately?