The Sting Of Betrayal

Betrayal stings. And it hurts. Sometimes, very deeply. Betrayal seeks to disrupt your life. Betrayal turns the normal into the abnormal. It calls into question your trust, your allegiances, your expectations of people dear to you. You sit in the darkness of your mind pondering your calamity. You ask where you got it wrong. You chastise yourself for being too trusting. You wish you had been more circumspect. You wish you had seen it coming. You are in a hole. And the more you over analyze the deeper you sink.

By now your self esteem has steeped down the slope. Presently you hate yourself as much as you hate the betrayer; if not more. Tears flow ceaselessly as you continue the self beating. Soon, depression sets in, opening wide the road to a self-destruct.

If you think you can handle a betrayal through this route you must be delusional. The way out is to guide your mind before you lose it. Refusing to think evil of yourself is a tough call; and makes winning over betrayal a difficult task. It's a path trodden by few men. It is this path you must tread. Take some fresh air. Do a walk in the park or on a road nearby, thinking about God's past faithfulness to you. Try and smile to yourself and thank God that your situation is not worse than it is. Starve the betrayer of attention. Don't allow him live in your head without paying rent. So, ask for and receive the grace to forgive. Allow him steal the limelight he so much craves for. So, try as much as possible not to counter the tale bearer's tale. Believe me: he will soon fizzle out, if he continues in the destructive path. The ground on which he stands is too shifty to hold the two of you. Don't fight back. God is a better defender than you. Trust me.

When you are up to it, take a moment to pray for him. And be sincere about it. It frees you up to move on while the betrayer is stuck in the mud.

If you are being betrayed, take solace in the fact that you are not alone. Listen to a betrayed psalmist:

“This isn’t the neighborhood bully mocking me—I could take that. This isn’t a foreign devil spitting invective—I could tune that out. It’s you! We grew up together! You! My best friend! Those long hours of leisure as we walked arm in arm, God a third party to our conversation.” Psalm 55:12-14 MSG

Are you still insistent on a self-destruct because of a betrayer? Just let it go. Come on, rise from the dust. And start running - into your dream