BETRAYAL BY ONE INTIMATE

Like Adam, they have broken the covenant– they were unfaithful to me there.  Hosea 6: 7

 If betrayed by a stranger, we shrug our shoulders and declare, “That’s life!”  But an act of betrayal committed by one close to us leaves us with an open, gaping wound that must heal.  Have you suffered the treachery of one in covenant with you?  The covenant of friendship, perhaps.  Or marriage, or business.  Within an intimate relationship, promises are made, vows of fidelity are taken, and well-intentioned love is understood and expected.  Things seem to run smoothly for a while, maybe even for decades, so it’s no wonder that when one close to us is revealed as a “Judas”, we are stunned and left staggering in disbelief for years. 

        What’s sobering to realize is that we each have within us the heart of Judas.  God is very clear that I am a descendant of Adam.  I’m wired like him, and I will repeat his acts without divine interventions of grace.  I am one who betrays the covenant between me and God everyday.  Though God is never shocked by my acts of infidelity (because He knows the ways I am bent toward sin), He is saddened over the ways I fail Him.  He grieves when our intimacy is severed and we stand at arm’s length staring at one another.  He calls me back, proclaims undying love in spite of what I’ve done, and then waits.  He hopes I’ll ask for forgiveness and be restored.

        He is faithful to me.  I am repeatedly unfaithful.  I am never out of His thoughts.  He was out of mine for years.  He is always acting in my best interest.  I have often ignored taking part in what interests Him.  He defends me when Satan accuses me.  I have been silent when others have sworn against Him in anger.  He expects the best of me.  I am prone to distrust Him when the evidence begins to mount against Him. 

        That He will love me today is a credit to Him, not me.  I don’t want to miss the joy of it.  So, I will not waste my time shrinking in the corner, feeling unworthy.  I open up my arms to Him, amazed by such a covenant-keeper.

There is none like you, God. No matter how unfaithful I am, your love prevails.  Amen