On “…forsaking all others….”

When we make this vow at the altar, we are ACTIVELY committing and vowing to give up other partners. It is a commitment that is only beginning that day as it must be renewed each day by each spouse.

A wise spouse recognizes dangerous situations and CHOOSES to forsake those relationships that might undermine their marriage.

By “dangerous,” I mean situations where temptation is real. These are situations where investing more time alone with an attractive coworker would be highly unwise. It is in these moments that the marriage vows are tested.

This is part of the reason I do not buy the sad sorry from Cheaters about how the emotional affair “just happened.”

The truth is Cheater enjoyed the attention from their affair partner. They could have chosen to shut down those encounters and honor their vows to forsake all others, but they didn’t. In fact, they may have gone out of their way to encourage such encounters leading to the emotional affair.

To forsake is a choice.

And NOT to forsake is a choice, too.