Infidelity Within Marriage

“The grass is greener on the side of the fence you water”. A good marriage is something that is worked for and spouses show fidelity by loving each other with all of their heart, might, mind, and strength. The spouse is the only other being that we are commanded to love as much as we love God. It is important to acknowledge the fact that infidelity is prevalent in many marriages even if it is not recognized. There are four types of affairs and people need to always be on guard so they do not fall into these categories. The first affair is the fantasy affair. People let their thoughts unfaithfully imagine what life would be like with another person. This can occur when no other person is actually involved. The second affair is the visual/pornography affair. This is when a viewer usually acts out sexually with wandering eyes. The third affair is the romantic affair. This is when a person is emotionally involved with a specific person other than his or her spouse. This is often seen as an escape from every-day life. The fourth is the sexual affair which is when a person engages in sexual acts outside the bonds of marriage. Any affair will result in bad consequences. “Guilt and shame will eventually set in. People sneak, hide, lie, and cheat. Love begins to die. Bitterness, jealousy, anger, and hate begin to grow.” Some impacts and consequences are an emotional and spiritual harm and divorce. The spouse may feel nauseated, repulsed, depressed, undesirable, insecure, helpless, abandoned, anxious, and suicidal. Sexually transmitted diseases are also a risk. A way to prevent fidelity is to be on guard and be fiercely loyal. It is great to control thoughts and always put the spouse above anything else. 70% of couples where an affair occurred stayed together and there are five ways to repair after an affair. They are to rebuild trust, gain perspective, repentance and forgiveness, overcome addiction, and actively make the choice to stay together. It is easy to fall into the trap of fidelity and I am always going to be active to prevent any fidelity to occur in my life.