In a previous post I talked about intimacy as being much more than just physical romance, with a focus on the ways misconceptions about intimacy can hurt relationships. However, there's another angle I didn't consider at the time: cultivating (accidentally or otherwise) any form of intimacy with someone other than your spouse.
I recently learned of several heartbreaking and marriage-crushing affairs involving people who seemed above reproach. In every case, the parties involved started out with full intentions to remain faithful to their spouse, and did not consider their marriage to be weak or dissatisfying, nor consider themselves attracted to the other person. However, in the process of spending time around someone of the opposite sex---for legitimate or even admirable reasons---all made the fatal mistake of allowing themselves to become intimately connected with that other person: deep personal conversations, long outings alone together, sharing of hopes, desires, and secrets, etc. In keeping with their pure intentions, they studiously avoided pursuing anything like physical romance, thinking that was the danger to avoid, but in all cases romance erupted suddenly and irreversibly once the intimate relationship had matured. Most of them became so attached to their new partner they felt no remorse after betraying their spouse and other loved ones. This is something to be avoided at all costs, even if it means a bit of inconvenience to you or another person.
I recently learned of several heartbreaking and marriage-crushing affairs involving people who seemed above reproach. In every case, the parties involved started out with full intentions to remain faithful to their spouse, and did not consider their marriage to be weak or dissatisfying, nor consider themselves attracted to the other person. However, in the process of spending time around someone of the opposite sex---for legitimate or even admirable reasons---all made the fatal mistake of allowing themselves to become intimately connected with that other person: deep personal conversations, long outings alone together, sharing of hopes, desires, and secrets, etc. In keeping with their pure intentions, they studiously avoided pursuing anything like physical romance, thinking that was the danger to avoid, but in all cases romance erupted suddenly and irreversibly once the intimate relationship had matured. Most of them became so attached to their new partner they felt no remorse after betraying their spouse and other loved ones. This is something to be avoided at all costs, even if it means a bit of inconvenience to you or another person.
