Christ Too Has Felt Your Pain
I'm a benefit of the doubt, trusting over and over again kinda girl. It's not often I hold grudges long, and it's rare for me to not give a second chance to someone. Some would maybe say I let myself get walked all over - like a door mat. But I don't think that's the case. Sure, there was absolutely a time where I valued being liked by my peers over being genuinely loved. And as a result, yeah, I'd get walked all over. But I learned, and slowly began to discern between second chances and walking away.
But let's talk about betrayal. Because that's a heavy word. That's not just a "someone said some mean things about me" word. It's a "someone I loved and trusted and built a friendship with, turned their back on me" word. It's heavy in connotation and emotion. I'm sure when you read that, someone came to mind so quickly because you've felt it. You've felt betrayal and it's heavy.
You know who else felt betrayal? Christ. Your Heavenly Father. From His closest friends. The minute knowing Him became inconvenient for them, they turned their backs on Him, said they didn't know Him, and even turned Him over for money. It was easier for them to walk away, turn their backs, and denounce any admiration, love, or respect they had for Him - so that's what they did.
Christ had spent years with those men. He had cooked dinner's for them, chatted with them around the fire at night, and went from town to town with them. They saw Him perform miracles. They saw crowds gather to hear Him speak. They knew His heart, his mission, and they walked beside Him for most of it - until it became inconvenient for them.
And how sad right? That at a time when their presence would've meant the most, a time when their being there would've spoken louder than anything else they ever could've done, they were absent. Because it didn't benefit them. Being present for Him during that time would've cost them things. Things like sleep, energy, and even safety. His best friends couldn't sacrifice for Him.
Yet Christ still climbed calvary and died for them.
Because love demands sacrifice and just because others couldn't love Him the way He deserved, He wasn't going to follow suit. Instead He performed the biggest act of love - and laid down His very life for us.
So to the girl who's been betrayed; by your family, best friends, and anyone you trusted, depended on, and have maybe walked through life with - put your hope in that. Know that your Father so deeply and personally feels that betrayal Himself. He knows. He too has had His friends not show up when He needed them most. But also remember - He still climbed the mount and chose love.
Betrayal sucks. Point blank. And I can't sit here and say "yeah, choose love, it's so simple". Because it's not. Sometimes it would be easier to just walk away and burn a bridge right? And sure, sometime's that's necessary. Sometimes that the option that looks the most like love. But sometime's we're called to climb that mount too, with our Lord, and choose love and mercy. And it's definitely not a mountain we can climb on our own. That's why we must first find solidarity in His hurt heart and cling to that similarity. And then choose love with Love Himself beside us every step of the way.