Do unto others...

Do to others what you would have them do to you (Matthew 7:12).

Everyone experiences betrayal. It starts when you’re little. You invite a friend into your house and he steals a toy. You promise to be best friends forever, then a few days later your pal is busy playing with someone else.

The betrayals continue as you get older. You get stood up for a date. Your friends gossip about you behind your back. The boss promises you a promotion, then gives it to someone else. The person you married files for divorce.

Betrayal is everywhere. Politicians go back on campaign promises. Courts overturn initiated measures. Companies fail to keep your private information secure. Sales reps make false claims about their products. It seems as if everyone lies or breaks their promises.

Trust grows over time; as you get to know other people, you find out how dependable they are. But since everyone lets you down from time to time, how much can trust grow? Hurt by lies and broken promises, it is easy to become bitter and keep people at arm’s length.

Thanks to Jesus, there is a way to replace bitterness and isolation with trust and companionship. That method is forgiveness. When you forgive someone, it’s like wiping the chalkboard clean—all record of past mistakes is gone. When you forgive someone, you choose to start trusting them again—not just a little bit, but completely.

I know this sounds scary; why open yourself up to more hurt in the future? There are two reasons. First of all, is life really better when you hide in your shell like a turtle? Isn’t sharing love and affection with others worth the risk of occasional letdowns? And what about you? How many lies have you told? How many promises have you broken? How much betrayal are you responsible for? I’m sure that you feel terrible for hurting others. I’m sure that you want them to give you another chance. The Golden Rule says do to others what you would have them do to you. If you want others to forgive you and trust you again, you know what you need to do. Call on Jesus; He will help you to forgive and trust others, the way that you want to be forgiven and trusted.