Avoiding heartache

 I loved what we talked about in this week's class. It was also refreshing to go back to the two classes per week schedule. One thing we discussed was fidelity in marriage. I loved this topic because our professor was so open about the dangers of infidelity and how it can impact a marriage. I am not really going to pull anything from the text but rather talk about the lessons I learned from my professor. I learned and understood that couples need to avoid having a couple of things. One of those things is "couple best friends". When couples begin to get too close to other couples they begin to become too comfortable. What might start off as an innocent hangout can turn into something far more dangerous? Another thing couples should avoid is sharing their marital issues with people who are not professionals in solving marriage problems. What I mean when I say that is that it is very vital that couples are able to work out their issues. But when a woman or man shares with another person their marital issues they are opening up the doors to create some emotional connections, and even those emotional connections can sometimes turn into affairs. See that is the thing. Fairs aren't always sexual. Sometimes they are emotional. And more often than not they start off that way. You might think it is safe to share with your male coworker that you and your husband have been struggling to get along. And you probably share that with him because you feel comfortable with him and maybe subconsciously think you can find comfort in discussing these things with him. Your first red flag should be that you feel like you need to share your issues with him. Sharing those issues will lead to an emotional connection that will even draw you further away from your spouse. For this reason, it is so important for couples to talk to professionals and get help for their marriage issues. Infidelity can be prevented. But sometimes people are great liars. One comment that really helped me deepen my understanding of the spiritual side of fidelity is that at the end of the day we have covenanted to and with God NOT our spouses. If your spouse is unfaithful you find hope in the fact that you have been faithful to your covenant. Although what I am about to say is straying away from the research we have discussed I would like to share my spiritual testimony. My testimony is that being faithful in our marriage is not impossible and that even though the hurt is real when there is infidelity that hurt can be healed by a loving Savior who has atoned for our sins. I can promise this because I have felt and seen the love of my Savior Jesus Christ heal wounds that didn't seem healable. But just like anything else we want to protect we need to do our part and make smart choices that will help us avoid heartbreak. This week's topic was a tough one but it was also a good one in the sense that there were a lot of helpful tools. I believe there are more people than we know that have experienced or have been affected by the effects of infidelity. Infidelity to me is like a disease. We must all work hard to bring awareness to that disease and to share ways to prevent it. Maybe share this article with someone you love. Even if you think they are the last person that would experience this pain. It is good for everyone to know.