Infidelity

Safeguarding Marriage from Infidelity

 In our ward at church, my husband is the ward clerk. There is one sister in my ward that has been going down to the clerk’s office and hanging out every Sunday. She has a flirtatious personality. Even though she is married, she never seems to hang out with her husband. When she does this, it makes my husband feel very awkward. To avoid him from feeling this way, he asked me to sit in the clerk’s office with him. When I’m not able to sit in there with him he keeps the door closed.

Right from the start of our marriage we decided we would safeguard it. We also decided before we were ever married neither of us would ever tolerate cheating. Back then, I felt the definition of cheating referred to only having sexual relations with a person other than your spouse. But, I have learned it means so much more. In the book by Goddard, “Drawing Heaven into Your Marriage”, he teaches there is to be no sharing, dividing, or depriving, and your spouse always comes first (90). Infidelity can happen both physically and/or emotionally. Physical infidelity happens when a person has a sexual relationship with someone other than their spouse. Emotional infidelity happens when a partner begins to share thoughts, ideas, and time with a person of the opposite sex. Both types of infidelity are damaging to the marital relationship.

So, they way my husband and I developed our plan to avoid infidelity within our own marriage has been simple. First, we have made sure not to develop friendships with people of the opposite sex. Second, we both make sure we communicate with each other throughout the day. Third, we make sure we have a weekly date night. This allows us time to reflect on the past week, and to discuss with each other if there is anything bothering either one of us. Finally, my husband always comes straight home from work, and never goes out with the guys after work.