I don't believe this will be a long post. I've stumbled upon something that reallllly struck me. I'm reading a book, and it refers to Judas - the one who betrayed Jesus - as unfaithful and disobedient. Instantly, my mind played Devils advocate. I know that - by and large- that Jesus was betrayed by Judas, who was in his inner circle and supposed to be gleaning from and providing support to Jesus. I also know that ultimately betrayal is a seemingly bad thing, and that experiencing it is painful. I also know that Jesus trusted Judas, as he trusted the twelve, to be true to the established brotherhood. And what makes things worse? Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss! When we listen to, talk about, and study this story of betrayal, Judas is presented as this unworthy, out-of-pocket individual... The antagonist in the story that the devil swayed to kill our beloved Jesus. Whyyy would he DO such a thing?! Jesus TRUSTED HIM! But here's where I take a turn with a what if... What if Judas WAS being obedient? What if, perhaps, he WAS being faithful?! Not that betrayal doesn't hurt, not that there weren't other expectations of him. But if Jesus came to earth to fulfill a particular mission, and ultimately completed that mission... Was Judas not as important and as valuable in the grand scheme of things?? Betrayal or not, if Judas hadn't kissed Jesus to signal that he was "the One," would the mission have been fulfilled?
It makes me wonder how faithful we should be in our anger and hurt toward those people and situations that "betray" us. This paradigm shift may ultimately cause one to appreciate the Judas(es) in one's life. Is the goal to ultimately accomplish one's purpose, or to be able to comfortably identify who is for you at all times?... Anddd to remain comfortable with those people/in those environments? Is the goal to stay where you are, as you are, with the same folks from day one, or is the goal to get to the desired end/your purpose/destination? Im not sure yet, but I BELIEVE I'm contending that those that appear to be conspiring "against" us may actually be working FOR us. In fact, these entities may have been hired by the Divine as a conduit in the Grand Plan. I think of situations in my life that almost left me bitter and unforgiving, situations where it seemed someone betrayed me and left - perhaps even LED - me to the wolves. These situations may have showed up initially as betrayal resulting in hurt with a side of anger, but the byproduct has been strength, courage, the power to forgive, and relentless gentleness and self-love. Kinda makes me look at "Judas" a bit differently. Kinda makes me wanna go ahead and kiss Judas my darn self! Because I realize that even if it's unexpected, or a bit painful, and even if Judas is someone I never considered to "watch out for," that if it pushes me toward my purpose, I can trade the anger and sadness for gratefulness for Judas. As a matter of fact, I'd like to say thank you to Judas right NOW for doing EXACTLY what you were supposed to do at the RIGHT TIME! Maybe Judas knew exacccttttly what he was doing, and maybe he didn't. Maybe he didn't realize that he was a part of the plan, but at some point, his actions lined up. We don't always get the why and the when, but thank you Judas! When you kissed me, you helped validate that I'm "the ONE," and pushed me toward my purpose! Whew-wee!
I'm not saying I'm LOOKING for betrayal, nor am I welcoming the pain of disappointment (duh) but I'm trading my sorrow, my victim mentality, blame, shame, and any other games I may attempt to play with myself when my fave fruit in the basket goes sour... I may ask why or have a moment, but if it gets me a step closer to my dreams, visions, and purpose, KISS ME Judas! Now where's the mistletoe?!