Ethics & Religion
Column #1,922
June 21, 2018
How To Overcome Adultery
By Mike McManus
The opening words of Nancy Anderson's book: "I was in love. I
couldn't eat or sleep - I could barely breathe." A few minutes later,
Jake whispered, "I made lunch for us. It's in a picnic basket."
Problem was that Jake was her adulterous lover, and she had promised to
have lunch with her husband, Ron. She called him, "You don't still want
to go to lunch, do you?"
Her book is Avoiding the Greener Grass Syndrome: How to Grow
Affair-Proof Hedges Around Your Marriage.
Nancy had already moved out of her house, asking Ron for a month on her
own. After 10 days, Ron called, "I want you to come home. My voice is
hoarse from crying."
She replied, "If I move back now, things would be better for a few days,
but then we'd get in a fight. You'd swear at me and call me horrible
names."
A week later a girl friend called to say, "I've never seen a man cry as
hard as Ron. He's out of his mind with grief." Nancy coldly replied,
"Tell him I'm looking for an apartment."
Knowing that Ron was going on a trip, Nancy went to their apartment to
pick up things to take away. While there, the phone rang. It was her
mother, who said, "I have a feeling that something's wrong." Her dad
picked up, saying her mother "thinks you're in trouble."
Nancy confessed, "Ron and I are having some problems. We fight a
lot...He's mean to me...I'm leaving him. I moved out a couple of weeks
ago. I'm going to file divorce papers."
"No, you're not!" Father commanded.
"But Daddy, I'm so unhappy."
"Happiness has nothing to do with it...You've been lying to us for
weeks...I think you're responsible for at least half of the problems in
your marriage." He asked if she had "gone to counseling or talked to a
pastor?"
"No" she whimpered.
"Because we love you, we will not support your leaving Ron. Since Ron is
not physically abusive and has not committed adultery, you have no
biblical grounds for divorce."
She promised them she'd wait for Ron to return. Later she remembered
Biblical verses: "Obey your parents in the Lord" (Ephesians 6:1). Jesus
said to the woman caught in adultery: "Neither do I condemn you; go and
sin no more" (John 8:11).
Nancy then prayed, "Please, Lord, give me the strength to walk away from
Jake."
When Ron returned, she said, "I'm home. Your prodigal wife has come
home."
"Why?"
She replied, "Because I belong here with you."
He asked her if she had a boyfriend. She replied that she did, but added
"I want both of us to call him in the morning and tell him we're going
to stay married."
Since that day in 1980, they have rebuilt their marriage and have advice
for other couples, half of whom have committed adultery:
- Stop running away from God - ask for His help.
- Admit your faults to each other.
- Ask for forgiveness - then forgive each other.
- Cut off all contacts to inappropriate relationships.
Beyond these initial steps, they urge couples to "join a wonderful
church" for worship
and adult Sunday School classes. Begin to compliment one another,
realizing that "married love is not a feeling, but a decision."
They began to teach classes on marriage, revealing "the whole truth
about the death and resurrection of our marriage." They found their
story gave hope to couples "who think infidelity always equals divorce."
They also learned the value of "planting hedges" around their marriage
for protection:
- Hearing: Ask, do I talk more than I listen? Philippians advises, "Fix
your thoughts on what is true and good and right...dwell on the fine,
good things in others."
- Encouraging: "Reach for your mate's hand when you're walking through a
parking lot." Ask yourself, what are some of my mate's wonderful
qualities that I might praise?
- Dating: is how to recapture your initial excitement and delight. Try new
things. Your city's website lists weird events. Go! Borrow a convertible
for a sunset drive. If money were no object, what would you do? Have a
double date with another couple.
- Guarding: Pornography is involved in 60%+ of divorces. Block it with a
filter: www.netnanny.com. Couples must join a strong Bible-based church
and attend.
- Educating: Write down five things your spouse can do to make you feel
loved such as sex twice a week, pray together every morning, compliment
me.
Finally, I suggest couples read Avoiding the Greener Grass Syndrome to
divorce-proof your marriage.
___________________________________
Copyright (c) 2018 Michael J. McManus, President of Marriage Savers and
a syndicated columnist. To read past columns, go to
www.ethicsandreligion.com. Hit
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