A few weeks ago, we put a little stone in your shoe to help provoke a conversation between you and your significant other about ongoing boundaries with men and women of the opposite sex (i.e., co-workers, friends on social media, neighbors). If you didn't read Part One, go ahead and read it now.
We discuss these relationships in all aspects of the marriage ministry at Watermark, but the topic came front and center again after we read the public reaction to some boundaries Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen established in their marriage (referenced in Part One).
Today we want to follow up by getting very practical. In particular, we want to discuss six ways you can strengthen your marriage when it comes to opposite sex relationships.
What are some practical ways to strengthen your marriage?
Know each other’s passwords for all social media, financial, and email accounts. If you're married, then you are one flesh. Genesis 2:24 says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Unless you’re planning a surprise birthday party for your spouse, there shouldn’t be any secrets or anything hidden from one another.
Be cautious about times when you’re alone with someone of the opposite sex. If possible, eliminate all possibilities of this happening. Don’t travel together, drive alone with someone of the opposite sex, and minimize/eliminate closed door meetings with someone of the opposite sex.
Do you need to live in fear that if you’re going to be alone with someone of the opposite sex that you will have an affair? Yes and no.
"That some people are so quick to be angered—and others are totally unsurprised—shows how divided America has become about the fundamental claim embedded in the Pence family rule: that understandings of gender should guide the boundaries around people’s everyday interactions, and protecting a marriage should take precedence over all else, even if the way of doing it seems strange to some, and imposes costs on others."
6. Last, but certainly not least: Fall more deeply in love with Jesus. We’re not telling you to model your life or marriage after the Pence family. But, there are many practical steps you can take and conversations you can have to safeguard and strengthen your marriage. By far, the best thing you can do is to grow in intimacy with Jesus. The more you and I love the Lord, the less appealing everything else in life looks. When you walk closely with Jesus, pornography and extra-marital relationships will look less and less appealing.
Our team hopes this two-part series on opposite sex relationships put a stone in your shoe that leads to conversations with your spouse and others on how to grow in intimacy with Jesus and in your marriage. If we can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team at merge@watermark.org.