Marriage 911

What does the story of a philandering governor in South Carolina have to do with a simple homeschooling mom in Missouri? Not much unless you consider that this homeschooling mom is also a married woman and takes to heart stories of vows gone awry. My heart goes out to Jenny Sanford and their four boys. My heart goes out to families everywhere experiencing grief such as this.

It was in this recent recounting of the Sanford affair I read the following: "During an emotional interview at his Statehouse office with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sanford said Chapur is his soul mate, but he's trying to fall back in love with his wife."

I think that was the saddest thing I've read of this whole story. If the mistress is the true soul mate, what was the wife?

As I was driving to the store the other day, the Sanfords' story came to mind again and I thought to myself, "Boy, am I glad Craig isn't a politician." And then I remembered the 2006 Ted Haggard scandal. This thought was immediately followed by, "Oh yes, and I'm also glad he isn't a pastor."

As if being a politician or a pastor are the only two professions in which otherwise happily married men are brought to public shame . . . as if men are the only ones to fall.

This isn't a newsflash for any of you, but not a single one of us is immune from sexual sin---not the politician, not the pastor, not the Christian schoolteacher, not the conservative magazine writer, not the homeschooling mom---not a single one.

I can be smug in my almost 13 years of marriage feeling safe and immune, but this is foolish, as areas given the least attention tend to be the areas most prone to cracks. I'm reminded once again that I need to be the one praying for my husband, and together, we need to be praying for our marriage. Few others are going to do this for us (and isn't it better to protect than to repair?).