Dear reader, did you take a
second look when you read this F word? I bet you did! In my experience I cannot
say I have ever used the word. Perhaps I am in good company.
Meaning of Fealty
What on earth is fealty? Good
question!
Early forms of the word,
“fealty,” originate around 1300 and referred to the loyalty a vassal had to a
lord. As time went on the meaning of “fealty” broadened. Fealty is now used to
express one’s loyalty to other leaders, a country, or a principle of life.
These days the word isn’t used often.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fealty
One of the closest words we
have today to fealty is loyalty. “Loyalty implies a faithfulness that is
steadfast in the face of any temptation to renounce, desert, or betray.”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fealty
Fealty to One’s Call as a
Writer
This post will be devoted to
fealty as loyalty to one’s call to write. Our fealty to our call to write is also
one of commitment and an expression of devotion. As writers who are also
Christians to betray our call is not an option.
The members of InScribe
Christian Writers’ Fellowship are more than casual hobbyists. To us writing is
more than a fun thing to do. There is skill to develop, genres to explore,
energy and concentration to aid in our focus, and passion in what we want to
write. We can add to this list, but I hope you get my meaning. Writing is
indeed fun, but it also requires work and loyalty to develop one’s skill.
Wow, my friends, just think,
we are writers! We spend time writing down words to reach other people. To us
words are alive. They aren’t mere empty thoughts coming from a dark hole. Our
words represent our loyalty to a call God has placed on our lives.
Fealty in the Face of Life
Change
A recent appointment with my
doctor confirmed my suspicion. He confirmed, in his words, I am, “no longer a
spring chicken.” Okay, this is no surprise to me. The past months of 2023 and
latter 2022 has been a period showing me my youthful years are now history. I
guess I had to come to a place in my life where I had to admit I am an almost
old guy.
This realization, however, has
not crushed my fealty, my loyalty, to my call as a writer. Lord willing, I
still have years of energy to walk in nature, play with my grandchildren, enjoy
life with my wife, serve my church community in some way, sit on the back porch
with my dog, and write, write, write. My loyalty to writing has not diminished.
A Couple Questions to Ponder
Writer friends, are you loyal
to a particular genre of writing? Readers, are you loyal to particular authors?
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