The Pain of Betrayal

Sometimes lessons in life can be hard to accept. You tend to want to give people the benefit of the doubt hoping you were wrong. Gossip is painful to deal with when you discover that the source originated from a person in your inner circle. Rumor is like playing the telephone game where a message can be changed every time it is shared from person to person in a fairly short time.

It’s hard to protect yourself from people who talk about others while hiding so much about themselves. Betrayal/backbiting/gossip leaves wounds that are very difficult to recover without leaving pieces of yourself splattered across the isles. The quote – ‘Make sure everybody in your “boat” is rowing and not drilling holes when you are not looking” is a warning to the wise that those close to you could be doing you the most disservice.

It’s hard to believe that anyone in your circle could be working against you but it happens. There are people who pretend to be with you and for you, but they are drilling holes when you are not looking. Not everyone but some – and you will know who they are if you are wise.

Jesus was betrayed by Judas. He included Judas as one of his twelve closest friends being fully mindful that the ending was going to be a long lonely road to betrayal. Jesus without a doubt loved Judas and I’m kind of confident that his heart may have been broken as he came to term with the reality that Judas had already sold him out for personal gain

It’s reassuring to read how Jesus reacted to Judas. The Bible says that he instructed Judas to do whatever he had set his mind to do. Jesus did not throw a fit like how I would have responded, nor did he try to stop Judas. Matthew26:50 says, Jesus responded by saying “FRIEND, do what you are here to do.” Judas kisses Jesus and immediately Jesus was arrested.

It’s very easy to become preoccupied on the one or two persons who maybe digging holes in your ‘boat’ while losing sight of where you are heading. No one has the power to change your God-given destiny but you. There will always be someone to distract and discredit you, it’s LIFE. Treat them with kindness, limit the interactions and leave them wondering how you kept rowing.

Change your perspective and increase the speed of the ‘boat’. Don’t allow anyone to keep you angry. I’ve had unforgettable moments in my life where I was forced to stop caring about other people’s dysfunctions and simply exhale and say out loud to myself, ‘Girl, you’ve prayed for this new wave and it’s actually happening now.’

The truth be told – serving Jesus is the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. He is my storm whisperer. He either speaks to the external storm or he speaks to the storm in me.  If you have been betrayed by someone close – and eventually we all will—our first response should be to cry out to Jesus who loves us, pursues us, and intimately understands the reality of that betrayal.

Choose your battles. Those who are drilling holes while you are not looking have a part in your story. Your present situation is not your final destination. The best chapters are the ones of survival. You wouldn’t know how to survive if your ‘boat’ didn’t have holes.