When Trust Gets Trampled

Well, bless your heart, an’ git me a big ol’ tall glass ‘o sweet iced tea, Butterbean. Now come on oer’ here an’ pull you up a comfy chair, dust off that there porch cushion, and git to bracin’ yourself like a squirrel ‘a-sittin’ on a power line ‘cause Proverbs 18:24 gits real personal ‘a-tellin’ us, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” That here verse hits real close ta’ home like an ol’ hound dog ‘a-scratchin’ at your backdoor at two in the mornin’. It done reminds us that while other folks may fail us an’ be ‘a-doin’ us real wrong, Jesus ain’t never ever gonna be failin’ us.

Now let me be ‘a-tellin’ you, Butterbean, gittin’ betrayed by a stranger is real aggravatin’, but bein’ betrayed by a friend is gonna be ‘a-makin’ you feel like a lil’ ol’ possum that jus’ realized the log he is ‘a-nappin’ on is actually a big ol’ crocodile. David done said in Psalm 55:12-13 that if it’d been an enemy, he could’ve handled it. But no, it was a companion, someone he’d done trusted. And if you’ve ever been double-crossed by someone you done been ‘a-sharin’ sweet tea and secrets with, you know ‘zactly what he meant.

Jesus  knowed that there kind o’ hurtful sting, too. Judas betrayed Jesus, and Peter denied Him, and both of ‘em had done eaten supper with Him that there very night. In Matthew 24:9-10, Jesus warned that in the last days folks’d be ‘a-betrayin’ each other faster than a lil’ ol’ barnyard rooster can be ‘a-spottin’ a sunrise. And Scripture is real full o’ examples. Cain turned agin’ Abel. Joseph’s brothers sold him off like a yard sale item. Jacob tricked Esau right out o’ his blessin’. David had friends who run off ‘a-scatterin’ like spooked deer in Psalm 31:11.

But Proverbs 17:17 reminds us that real true friends’re made for adversity, and Proverbs 18:24 says some friends can be more loyal than family. And one of the best ways to be ‘a-findin’ a friend like that is to be a friend jus’ like that. You can’t plant corn and expect to be ‘a-gittin’ tomatoes. You can’t be ‘a-sowin’ gossip and expectin’ to be ‘a-gittin’ loyalty. You gonna be ‘a-reapin’ what you be ‘a-sowin’, even in friendships.

And through it all, John 15:14-15 is ‘a-tellin’ us that Jesus is ‘a-callin’ us His friends. He’s the one companion who never ever runs off, betrays us, or leaves you ‘a-standin’ there like a lil’ ol’ confused goat ‘a-wonderin’ what just done happened.

Father, help me be the kind of friend who’s reflectin’ Your faithfulness. Heal the places where betrayal has done stung me. Teach me to be lovin’ folks wisely, forgivin’ folks freely, and trustin’ You completely. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now, by thunder, Buttercup, as you git ready to be ‘a-headin’ right on back into your day, you gotta be realizin’ that people may be ‘a-scatterin’ like chickens ‘a-flappin’ their wings with feathers ‘a-flyin’ in a windstorm, but Jesus stays put real strong like a big ol’ oak tree in a hurricane. When other folks’ll git ta’ failin’ you, Jesus’ll be standin’ real steady. When your heart gits to feelin’ bruised, He’ll be ‘a-holdin’ it real gently. And when betrayal is ‘a-tryin’ to be makin’ you feel real bitter, He’ll be ‘a-remindin’ you that you’re never, ever alone, not even on your loneliest front porch evenin’.

With joy,

Gwen