The Betrayal of a Friend

“For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.”

Psalm 55:12-13

I know that when the pain comes from an enemy, we're already braced for it, almost expecting it. But pain caused by a friend catches you completely off guard, and it cuts so much deeper, because your trust was completely unguarded. The psalmist felt exactly this, many centuries ago, and I received his outpouring without judging a single word of it.

You can do the same with me now, without fear of seeming wrong. You don't need to soften what you feel toward this person who was close to you and chose to hurt you anyway. The anger, the disappointment, the longing mixed with heartache — all of it can come to me, unfiltered, just as raw as it is.

I won't rush your reconciliation, if it ever happens at all. First I tend to your wounded heart, gently. Then, in my own time, I'll show you the next steps, whether that means forgiving from a distance or truly rebuilding what was broken. For now, lean on me to get through this.