Not only must we leave room for unexpected disappointments and unknown variables in life, we must realise that inevitably we’ll be betrayed and hurt by other people. Perhaps they deceived us into believing they were trustworthy, or they began sincerely and became infected with the viruses of jealousy and greed. In either case, you’ll face betrayal at some point along the way. Even the psalmist David wrote: ‘My best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.’ And included in the list of adversities Paul suffered in his ministry, are ‘false believers’. (2 Corinthians 11:26 ^NIV)

If you live long enough, you’ll eventually discover how self-centred and self-absorbed even the most generous of human hearts can be. And it’s most often the people we love and trust implicitly who have the greatest power to betray us. So what can we do? We must deal with the hurt and anger, without allowing either one to blind us to the long-range consequences of bitterness.

And don’t be deterred from your life’s goals or other relationships when it happens. Like a child who has learned to walk and gets tripped up by a bully, get back on your feet and continue your journey. You’ll be a little sore and a bit bruised at first, but the scabs will heal, and you’ll be stronger for having survived the fall.

After lamenting about his friend who betrayed him, David said to God, ‘I know You are pleased with me, for You have not let my enemies triumph over me. You have preserved my life.’ (Psalm 41:11–12 ^NLT) That’s the winning attitude!