topics
Marital Infidelity
One of the most devastating things that can happen in a marriage is infidelity by one of the partners. Most people immediately think of infidelity as adultery—that is, a married man or woman having sex with someone who isn't his or her spouse. But there are many ways to be unfaithful to your husband or wife. If you are engaging in one of the following activities, you need to ask yourself seriously whether you are being faithful to your partner.
- Sex with someone who isn't your spouse. It's not the only way to be unfaithful, but it is a big one. The knowledge that a husband or wife has done this is often a wound that a marriage can't heal from.
- Verbal or physical abuse. Every married couple took some sort of vows, and infidelity means breaking those vows. In no possible way can "love, honor, and cherish" be reconciled with "hit, belittle, and humiliate."
- Emotional intimacy with someone who isn't your spouse. The kind of intimacy that could be considered infidelity involves sharing things with someone through conversations or emails that you should be sharing with your spouse, even if no sex is involved.
- Financial damage. Every household runs on some kind of budget, but financial infidelity takes the family's income and spend sit in such a way that it undercuts the family's security. Gambling and shopping addictions are an example of this.
To be faithful means to keep the vows you took. Marital infidelity can be the death knell for any couple; do everything you can to avoid it.