Author: Ned
When I hear of people claiming to be followers of Christ whom I respect admitting to extramarital affairs, I get a very stirred-up reaction. Actually, it’s a variety of emotions—sadness, disappointment, anger, and more. And with this particular episode of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, all of those came in spades.
I was immensely let down by a man whom I knew very little but respected from articles that I read about him turning out to be such a disappointment in some extremely important areas of his life.
I felt strongly for the state of his heart—what is the condition of his soul that would encourage him to repeatedly make destructive and hurtful choices over and over again?
I was angry that he’d break his vows, and put his wife through a tremendously public humiliation—and his sons through a bewildering series of painful life situations.
But I also felt something else: a very humbling sense of kinship.
No, I have not had an affair with another woman. But I have hurt my wife deeply with my own selfish sins. I have lost her trust and respect for me with stupid words or actions at times that revealed my own blackness. I have had to admit to my own dark heart and my own black thoughts that would prompt me to attempt irrational acts in the name of my own personal satisfaction.
My guess is that many of you can also.
Every time I hear of a situation like this, I immediately think “there but the grace of God go I”. I recognize that in every one of our hearts, this impulse to stray and betray is just one bad choice away from doing real damage and pain. Cal Thomas called it “the voice” that calls out to us in seductive, enticing tones, promising us something that it will never deliver. We must be vigilant with the rogue state of our hearts, lest we too, suffer great pain while inflicting it upon the ones we love most.
If nothing else, may situations like these resolve us to be faithful to our vows of loyalty, commitment, and love for our spouse.
And more importantly, may we find in Jesus the salve to the ache in our souls that would prompt us to look over the fence and be tempted to stray away from the path of life and wisdom.
Posted in Heart issues | 
Tags: adultery, faithfulness, heart, inner life, loyalty, marriage, moral integrity
Great observation Ned. I have been watching this as well. I know men, both Christian and otherwise, who have fallen in this way. I also know that I am not beyond reproach. I often pray for the strength and power of the Holy Spirit to stay ever mindful of temptation in my own life. I too, have fallen, maybe not into infidelity as such, but in other ways. I would like to mention, I do respect Mr. Sanford for coming out with this the way he did. I keep reading in the press that they are trying to figure out his “angle”. They can not understand why he is going about this the way he is, because, politically it just does not make sense. Perhaps he is simply repentant and is trying to be honest about all that has happened? Despite what he has done, I have observed much Christ-like posture in his remarks and even more so in those of his wife.
Jim, yes, his wife has been a paragon of class and self-restraint. I admire her for her approach to this mess. I hope the Gov can shake free of the stupor he seems to be in to see what kind of a woman she is.