The Anatomy of an Affair from “A Man and His Marriage” material
- Unintentional neglect of each other in your marriage. Both the friendship & the physical intimacy begin to wane.
- Someone of the opposite sex is really kind to you. She notices you, compliments you, affirms you & you feel respected.
- The compliment turns into a conversation. Maybe a lunch together. Your time feels good and is meeting a need.
- Emotional Investment. You find yourself attracted and begin sharing your heart with her. You start laughing and sharing secrets together. You begin justifying the relationship to yourself.
- Ongoing Contact. You exchange contact information and begin staying connected, calling, texting, or messaging each other. You begin convincing yourself that things would be better with her than your wife.
- False Reality. Seeing her only when she’s at her best, you fail to realize your view of her is skewed. Because you’re acting alone, you don’t have any trusted friends who can help bring you back to reality. Affairs are void of responsibilities; they are Satan’s deception to destroy the first institution that God created…the family.
- Physical Intimacy. The emotional connection becomes physical intimacy. It starts with a hug, or kiss, and quickly escalates to destructive behavior.
Theology Along the Way 