as if he were faithful

This blog is borrowed from one of my favorite authors, Max Lucado. I feel like betrayal is something each of us has faced, or will. And its one of those obstacles that hurts the worst. Not only is betrayal in itself bad enough, but the loss of trust, friendship, the shock, and anything else that piles on, can make dealing with this unbearable. Read on to see how Jesus dealt with it:

When betrayal comes, what do you do? Get out? Get angry? Get even? You have to deal with it some way. Let’s see how Jesus dealt with it.

Begin by noticing how Jesus saw Judas. “Jesus answered, ‘Friend, do what you came to do.’ ” (Matthew 26:50)

Of all the names I would have chosen for Judas it would not have been “friend.” What Judas did to Jesus was grossly unfair. There is no indication that Jesus ever mistreated Judas. There is no clue that Judas was ever left out or neglected. When, during the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples that his betrayer sat at the table, they didn’t turn to one another and whisper, “It’s Judas. Jesus told us he would do this.”

They didn’t whisper it because Jesus never said it. He had known it. He had known what Judas would do, but he treated the betrayer as if he were faithful.

It’s even more unfair when you consider the betrayal was Judas’s idea. The religious leaders didn’t seek him, Judas sought them. “What will you pay me for giving Jesus to you?” he asked. (Matthew 26:15) The betrayal would have been more palatable had Judas been propositioned by the leaders, but he wasn’t. He propositioned them.

And Judas’s method … again, why did it have to be a kiss? (Matthew 26: 48–49)

And why did he have to call him “Teacher”? (Matthew 26:49) That’s a title of respect. The incongruity of his words, deeds, and actions—I wouldn’t have called Judas “friend.”

But that is exactly what Jesus called him. Why? Jesus could see something we can’t...
Jesus knew Judas had been seduced by a powerful foe. He was aware of the wiles of Satan’s whispers (he had just heard them himself). He knew how hard it was for Judas to do what was right.

He didn’t justify what Judas did. He didn’t minimize the deed. Nor did he release Judas from his choice. But he did look eye to eye with his betrayer and try to understand.

As long as you hate your enemy, a jail door is closed and a prisoner is taken. But when you try to understand and release your foe from your hatred, then the prisoner is released and that prisoner is you.

B-E-A-UTIFUL!

" I was so unique. Now I feel skin deep, I count on the make-up to cover it all. Crying myself to sleep 'cause I cannot keep their attention. I thought I could be strong, but it's killing me. Does someone hear my cry? I'm dying for new life. I want to be beautiful, make you stand in awe. Look inside my heart,and be amazed. I want to hear you say who I am is quite enough. Just want to be worthy of love, and beautiful." -Bethany Dillon, "Beautiful"

Don't get me wrong, I love dresses and make up and being pretty! But I do not like it when that is all that is seen, all that is known. I want my heart to be beautiful, and I want that to be seen and known as well. Can you relate? Have you wanted to be more than simply, a shell?

Following is an excerpt from Stasi Eldredge's book Captivating regarding this longing:

A Beauty Worth Pursuing

The desire to be beautiful is an ageless longing. Beauty has been extolled and worshiped and kept just out of reach for most of us. (Do you like having your picture taken? Do you like seeing those pictures later? How do you feel when people ask you your age? This issue of beauty runs deep!) For others, beauty has been shamed, used, and abused. Some of you have learned that possessing beauty can be dangerous. And yet—and this is just astounding—in spite of all the pain and distress that beauty has caused us as women, the desire remains. And it’s not just the desire for an outward beauty, but more—a desire to be captivating in the depths of who you are.

Cinderella is beautiful, yes, but she is also good. Her outward beauty would be hollow were it not for the beauty of her heart. That’s why we love her. In The Sound of Music, the Countess has Maria beat in the looks department, and they both know it. But Maria has a rare and beautiful depth of spirit. She has the capacity to love whiskers on kittens and mean-spirited children. She sees the handiwork of God in music and laughter and climbing trees. Her soul is Alive. And we are drawn to her.

Ruth may have been a lovely, strong woman, but it is to her unrelenting courage and vulnerability and faith in God that Boaz is drawn. Esther is the most beautiful woman in the land, but it is her bravery and her cunning, good heart that moves the king to spare her people. This isn’t about dresses and makeup . . . Don’t you recognize that a woman yearns to be seen and to be thought of as captivating? We desire to possess a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. We want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; beauty that affects others; a beauty all our own to unveil.

My beautiful hula ladies!

princesses

One of my nicknames is "Princess." This is not because I'm filthy rich, live in a castle, wear a crown, or have an entourage of eligible princes asking for my hand in marriage. This nickname was given to me intentionally to remind me of my identity in Christ.

Romans 8:17 "And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."

Think of Chronicles of Narnia--Edmond, Lucy, Susan and Peter are common children who stumble on the revelation that they are, in Azlan's world, kings and queens. You are, in God's world (which includes Heaven and Earth) royalty.

So..this is all pretty sweet when you think about it. However, sometimes I wonder what the big deal is that I'm a true princess..if everyone else is too? How can I be special, personally and deeply loved by God, if the person next to me--good, bad, pretty or ugly, is loved equally and passionately by God as well?

The answer came to me when my friend and I were having a serious discussion (which her husband found humorous) about which Disney princess was our favorite. We had to choose one. But it was tough. (I chose Ariel because she's fearless and hangs out in her swimsuit all day). But, at any moment my mind could have changed to Belle. You see, I love all of the princesses! They are each unique but I love them equally! (Yes, I'm 23 and I will never grow out of this).

I think this is how God's sees us! Just on a huger scale...

You see, as of 2007 God had made approximately 3,300,600,000 princesses. Each one beautiful. Each one different. Each one dearly loved by him. He pays attention to the details of each one's life, the way we know the stories of each Disney princess.

God can have a lot of favorites, but it doesn't decrease anyone's value. How many "favorite" songs do you have? What about movies? Bands? Actors? Shirts? Does one special person in your life make another special person less special? Probably not.

So whether you are an Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Ariel, Mulan, Pocahontas, Cinderella, Snow White, Giselle, etc. your role in the royal family of God is unique, valued, and irreplaceable. YOU are his favorite!

1 John 5:1 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well"