I was sternly reminded about this through someone’s life story tonight: we shouldn’t assume that those whom we have treated kindly will never harm us.

It really doesn’t take much for “a friend who was once in need” (who was supposed to have been a friend indeed) to turn against us regardless of what we have done for him.

This person who shared this story had learned it the hard way. He had once saved someone - a friend and business partner - from committing suicide. And when you’ve saved someone’s life, you’d expect the person to be eternally grateful and to never have the heart to harm you, right?

Wrong.

The “friend” had swindled him of a million ringgit. And that was just several days after he had saved him from taking his own life.

The world is not as simple as it sometimes seems. And people don’t always behave the way you expect them to, even if you think they owe it to you to behave well and be like the good human person you are.

Be as innocent as doves. Never stop doing good unto others. Never give up on kindness just because your goodness is returned with cruelty and betrayal. Keep on loving even if it puts you in a very vulnerable situation. And even if you are betrayed and your dignity is compromised, keep on being good anyway.

But be as shrewd as serpents. Be good, but do not assume that everyone else around you is as good as you are. You can help them save their lives, but they will trade you in for something as valueless as their own reputations. They may promise you their loyalty and faithfulness while you’re still of good use to them and serve their happiness; but for the same happiness, they will break all the promises that they’ve ever made to you. To expect their conscience to keep leading them to walk in faithfulness of friendship is to be foolish.

Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a common slave. How much do you think you’d be worth to a friend who wanted to sell you out?