Everyone has experienced being betrayed. Either it is a sly, back-stabbing incident or an upfront cut-throat act. I know a couple of memories spring up right now. It goes beyond breaking a trust, it also involves under-delivered promises, compromised performances or broken expectations. Feelings of disappointment, pain, anger and regret are some of the emotions usually associated with it.
In the same way everyone of us has betrayed someone at one part of our lives. It maybe an information shared that was not supposed to be shared, an active act of defying the other person’s expectations, a lie, or it could be as innocent as making a careless remark; we have hurt someone.
In the bible perhaps Judas stands out as the biggest betrayer, forsaking Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. But i think we also fail to notice other betrayers in the Bible. There’s Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David and so on and of course Peter; Judas’s colleague, his co-disciple.
All of us at one point betrayed God. The bible calls this sin (Romans 3:23). All of us knows what it feels like being found out by the other person that we have betrayed him/her and we are sometimes overwhelmed by remorse, self-anger, humiliation, condemnation and self-pity.
All of us are betrayers, but we have the option to choose our response to our wrong acts. Will we be like a Judas or a Peter?

Judas was despondent and saw that there is no hope of reconciliation. He actively turned his back on the Good News preached by his Master, he condemned himself and let evil and the enemy have their way with his life and the result of his choice was a premature death.
Peter, on the other hand, was no better than Judas. After boasting about his whole hearted devotion, he cowered at the bonfire at the camp and denied Jesus three times. He was also overcome by grief and wept bitterly, but he chose to have hope and believe in the unfailing love abounding grace of his Master and ended up living his life to the full.
Same sin, two responses, two endings and one choice that made the difference.
We are numbered with Peter and Judas, for we have betrayed God, but we do have a choice.
Do we go away form God and go to evil and the plans of the enemy and continue in the path of self-destruction?
Or do we humble ourselves, confess our sins and turn to God and receive his acceptance, forgiveness and love through the redemptive work of Jesus in the cross?
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. – 1 John 1:9 NLT
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. – Ephesians 1:7 NLT
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. – Romans 9:1-2
We may have felt that we are a ‘Judas’, but we have a choice to respond like ‘Peter’.