Infidelity: Boundaries to Protect Your MarriageSample

GUARDING AGAINST THE COLLAPSE OF A MARRIAGE In His famous Parable of the Two Foundations, Jesus talked about the importance of using reliable materials and building upon something solid. A house founded upon sand is almost certain to topple. So is a building whose structure is riddled with cracks and hidden weak spots. In a figurative sense, the very same thing can be said about the relationship between husband and wife. What do you do when you see a crack developing? Ignore it? Cover it with paint? Or do you figure out the source of the problem and fix it? Your answer could make a big difference in your marriage. In 1995, employees at a five-story department store in Seoul, South Korea noticed cracks developing around one of the support columns. Despite warnings from the engineer who built the complex, the store’s owner refused to close the building for repairs. It was a minor problem, he insisted. But, in reality, the crack was a symptom of a much larger structural failure. That became evident just a few hours later when the entire building collapsed, killing over five hundred people. Similar catastrophes take place within marriages every day. Couples often notice the cracks in their marriage, but they choose to ignore them. The problem seems so small and insignificant. Why deal with it now and go through all that emotional upheaval for nothing? What couples fail to recognize is the crack may be the first sign of a larger issue developing within the relationship. Ignore those problems, and the structure of the marriage could weaken over time, bringing the whole thing crashing to the ground. If you want a healthy marriage, look beneath the cracks in your relationship and address the underlying problems hiding there. Strengthen your marriage by addressing small problems before they become large ones.