Most people have experienced betrayal at some point in their lives. Betrayal can blind side you, or you can see it coming from a mile away. It takes on many forms and blows in multiple directions, but the effects remain the same. Disappointment, hurt, bitterness, questioning, analyzing, denying, and anger are just a few of the emotions that betrayal can gift us with. 

Even the most gifted, disciplined athletes and staunch followers of nutritional guidelines will discover that at some point, the body will betray you.

Even the most loyal friend will discover that not everyone puts the same premium on loyalty and honor.

Even the most diligent of employees will eventually run across a self centered, self promoting co-worker, stealing credit for work you performed.

Even the most loving parent will encounter a grumpy teenager, an incorrigible child, or possibly a wayward prodigal.

The point is, if we live, if we love, if we work, if we are in community, if we try to do anything or be anything, we will be hurt. 

Anticipating this will help you to: 

1) Realize you are not alone 2) There is nothing inherently wrong or unloveable about you 3) Have perspective 4) Accept that to truly live involves risk and living is a risk worth taking

A family member recently told me to quit running so much. “Don’t you realize that even if you run all these marathons you will still eventually get old, sick, and/or die?”. 

What this person was saying is, your body will betray you. Your days on this planet are limited so why try? You can’t control every health and wellness scenario, so give up.

That is the equivalent of saying you should retreat in seclusion if you have ever been lied to, gossiped about, maligned or misunderstood. We all have a choice in life to merely exist, or to truly live. 

Perhaps I should never have a friend or reach out to another human being again, because God knows, I’ve been gossiped about, maligned, misrepresented, and abandoned by some of the very people I have invested in and loved the most on multiple occasions. 

True, if you’re attempting to be someone, do something, love someone, or go somewhere:

You will do work you never get credit for.

You will exercise your buns off, just to gain a little weight from age related metabolic slow down anyway.

You might have a heart attack running a marathon, while an obese sedentary person may never have one.

You will be gossiped about, perhaps even lied about.

You will love and lose.

You will encounter betrayal.

However,

You will experience abundance, chance encounters, adventure, and deep relationships.

To truly live, tough calls have to be made, but the choice of life is worth the rough patches.

Be loyal. Outdo your friends, family, and co-workers in displaying and showing honor. Work your body in life giving ways until you discover its limits. Never say never. Live open. 

Invite the inevitable betrayals that may happen on the journey because when you can accept that every blessing has a burden, you can also know every burden has a blessing.