750: PROTECT YOUR MARRIAGE FROM INFIDELITY

“When you love someone you protect them from pain, you don’t become the cause of it.” —Anonymous

Infidelity doesn’t just happen. Affairs often occur when one spouse finds something that’s missing in the marriage with someone else. 

It is never okay to step out of your marriage because of a disconnect. 

But it is essential to know how to protect your marriage from infidelity, even if you don’t think you need to worry about it.

Research shows that approximately 25% of marriages experience infidelity.

There are couples within the ONE Family dealing with the devastation of unfaithfulness. 

If infidelity has taken place, it is still possible to have an extraordinary marriage. The reconciliation process takes time, but you can come out stronger on the other end. 

Above all, to safeguard your marriage against infidelity, you need knowledge.

A pattern has emerged over the years for couples who experience this heartbreak. This pattern is the presence of opportunities.

In essence, there’s an area that becomes an opening for infidelity to occur in your marriage. 

This starting point could look like becoming close with a friend or colleague. You crave their time and attention and find yourself missing them or looking forward to your next encounter. 

Alternatively, work might cause opportunities to appear. Perhaps you travel often and flirt with strangers at the bar or hotel. 

Things like pornography, erotica, strip clubs, or even social media can become the starting point that leads to infidelity. 

And it goes both ways. It is not just women who aren’t engaging with their husbands; there are also husbands who are not engaging with their wives. 

Ultimately, a failure to be intentional in your 6 Pillars of Intimacy® can open the door to considering an outside connection. 

It’s due to a lack of intimacy, whether emotional, physical, recreational, or sexual. 

If you don’t listen to your spouse or share your feelings for a long enough time, someone else will. The same goes for spending time with your spouse, touching them, or connecting sexually. 

These pillars are vital for the structure and beauty of your marriage. 

Obviously, you didn’t get married thinking that you wouldn’t have meaningful conversations. Nor did you marry your spouse intending to go long stretches without sex. And when you vowed to have and to hold your spouse on your wedding day, you didn’t expect to stop sharing loving touches. 

But when these pillars deteriorate because of inattention, it can open the door to someone else wanting to “fix” your broken areas. Let’s be clear: other people do not have a place in your marriage. 

So what can you do to protect against infidelity? 

A few key things need to happen. 

First, look at how you communicate disconnection in your marriage. 

It’s easy to be indirect with your spouse or not talk about what makes you feel disconnected. But that won’t protect your marriage. 

Say what you haven’t said yet, even if it feels uncomfortable. You don’t want to look back and wish you could have said something sooner.

If you need help with having these conversations, apply for marriage coaching today. Don’t ignore the issue and allow your marriage to crumble. 

Next, use The 6 Pillars of Intimacy® as a framework to evaluate your marriage’s health and address any cracks. 

Evaluate yourselves on a scale of 1-10 in your emotional, physical, financial, spiritual, recreational, and sexual intimacies. If you are not doing well in an area, take action.

This conversation brings clarity to your situation and helps you identify the specific pillars you need to address. 

Finally, get intentional and consistent with your marriage.

You won’t create a great relationship by accident. You must commit to trying new strategies that keep your intimacy strong. 

An extraordinary marriage requires work. Without a doubt, yours is worth fighting for.

Resources

Join the Private ONE Family Facebook Group

Apply for Marriage Coaching

The Trust Factor: How to Rebuild Trust In Your Marriage

Connect with Us

Join the ONE Family private Facebook group to share your story and connect with other couples who are creating extraordinary marriages. To reach us on the Hug Hotline, call or text 858-876-5663 or email hugs@oneextraordinarymarriage.com.