The Trust Protocol By Mac RichardSample

Day Six: The Gift of Betrayal

Scripture: Mark 11:25

Whenever we choose to trust, we run the risk of betrayal. Betrayal is the greatest personal pain a person can endure. All others pale in comparison because they are less personal and less purposeful. The only person who can betray us is someone we’ve chosen to trust who has chosen to break that trust. When that trust is deliberately destroyed, we have to decide how we are going to respond.

Actually, it’s more accurate to say that we get to decide how to respond, because in our response to betrayal we can strike a vein of hope, like a ribbon of gold that lies undiscovered for centuries.

Sometimes, forgiveness of a betrayal is an event. If the offense is small enough, we can forgive and move on in a relatively quick manner. Other times, though, forgiveness comes at a much higher cost. Forgiveness frequently has to be a repeated, conscious choice to abandon resentment and pain. Forgiveness does not require re-trusting that person, but it does require the conscious releasing of any bitterness, contempt, or disdain for the other person, regardless of whether or not they acknowledge the wrong. 

Forgiveness forms the basis for the restoration of our relationship with God that was ruptured by our sin. We are worthy—of love, respect, honesty, and trust—because he has endowed us with a divine dignity. Our God-ordained worthiness is the key that unlocks the door to forgiveness and the capacity to trust other people again.

This revelation can anchor our minds and hearts through the pain, anger, and bewilderment of betrayal. But it won’t solve the problem all by itself. Reconciling all those emotions and returning to the land of the living requires a deep-seated resolve and grit and commitment to a process that may need to be repeated in order to take root and bear fruit. 

Betrayal is an absolutely guaranteed residual of the Trust Protocol. When we build trust, give trust, and look for it in return, we will be betrayed. But what a tragedy it would be if we allowed our painful experiences to override our hope and choke out our belief in the possibility of what God is calling us to.

How does an understanding of your God-ordained worthiness change how you interact with others? How does it change your thoughts toward someone you need to forgive?