When my husband was in college, he spent a summer working in a lock shop with a supervisor named Rock, an old, hardworking man with great stories. One tale was about a company cost-cutting project. His manager asked him to remove all the screws from the high steel shelves in the warehouse to reuse them. Rock worked methodically, moving from shelf to shelf. Each screw he removed seemed harmless because the shelves still stood firm. Then he climbed the ladder one final time and removed the last screw from the last shelf. It leaned, crashed into the next one, and sent the entire row tumbling like dominoes, destroying everything.
We do this in our marriages, too. Believing certain lies is like removing the screws. Just one might not cause destruction, but one after another weakens the relationship and leads to signs of infidelity. Affairs often result from believing and justifying lies, but exposing lies keeps us from falling into their traps. It’s like putting a screw back into the shelf. Knowing the lies that double as warning signs of infidelity can keep the shelves from falling. Here are 5 dangerous lies husbands and wives believe that lead to infidelity.
1. “My spouse should make me happy.”
Placing the entire burden of our happiness on our spouse creates unrealistic expectations and potential resentment. When we expect our partner to constantly make us happy, we may find ourselves keeping score, focusing on their shortcomings, or feeling bitter when life gets challenging. This mindset can justify selfishness and spouse-blaming, so the person is free to chase happiness or greener grass.
Marriage thrives when both partners take responsibility for their own emotional well-being while supporting and loving each other in good times and bad. That’s why it’s so difficult but also so rewarding.
2. “There’s nothing wrong with a little flirting.”
It’s exciting to flirt. When someone finds you sexually attractive, you feel good, particularly when you feel the same way about that person. No one wants to lose that feeling. So married people justify flirting with others by telling themselves it doesn’t mean anything. But it does. It’s hurtful to your spouse because it trains the heart to wander. It’s natural to have feelings of attraction to others, but acting on those feelings gives a place in the heart to a person who doesn’t belong there. Flirting with someone who’s not your spouse is like entering a river with a powerful current that ends at a large drop-off.
3. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
This attitude can take root in doing something you know would upset your spouse. You recognize it’s wrong and probably feel guilty, but don’t want to stop. In an attempt to make herself feel better, this woman simply tells herself she’s not hurting anyone, but that’s a lie. Secrets cause disconnection, and they’re a sign of infidelity on the horizon. Spouses can sense intuitively when there is distance, no matter the degree. They may not address it, but they sense it. Believing a lie like this is just the beginning of allowing disconnection to enter the relationship. The distance just gets wider and wider until this person connects to someone else.
4. “I have sexual needs.”
Food is something you need. Sex is not something you need. It’s something you desire. An attitude such as this one gives sexual urges too much power. It is also a subtle way to justify pursuing sex outside of marriage. Once it’s justified in a person’s heart and mind, acting on the desire becomes easier. You can make an argument that sex is a need for the health of the relationship, but in that case, it is a need for the husband and the wife together, not just for one of them. Any sexual feelings that have to do with you alone point to a desire, not a need.
5. “Our marriage problems are my spouse’s fault.”
Marriage relationships consist of two people. One person might be more responsible but not completely to blame. This is a convenient way to avoid responsibility and the work that goes along with accepting it. Anytime people avoid responsibility, blame others, or justify themselves, they become colder. Walls of defense get fortified, and the separation begins. There are occasions when one person is completely to blame, but those are rare.
What other lies lead to infidelity?
