Betrayal

It has often been said that betrayal never comes from an enemy. A betraying of trust can be one of the most hurtful things to reconcile. Being led to believe that someone loves you and has your best interest at heart only to come to realize that was the furthest thing from the truth can be devastating. The emotional fallout of a betrayed trust can have far reaching implications and often leaves a wake of collateral damage in the form of innocent people who had nothing to do with you being hurt, but are often devstated themselves because they were connected to the relationship.

So what do you do when you’ve been betrayed? One of the things to remember is that you have options, although I would advise that you not make an emotional decision. Emotional decisions are rarely the best or right decisions to make. Allow yourself time to process the hurt and pain you feel from being betrayed. Weigh the gravity of the intent behind the betrayal, take into account who it was who betrayed you, reflect on the quality of the relationship prior to the betrayal, examine whether this person has been egregious in their behavior prior to this incident, pray and seek guidance from God, and lastly make the decision whether or not to stay in the relationship, or move on without them. Remember, forgiveness doesn’t mean that you have to continue to be in fellowship with someone who hurts you. As the saying goes, when someone shows you who they are, believe them…