Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Proverbs 7:25 (NIV)
As I sit in my hotel room in Dallas, TX, I am contemplating why Solomon, presumably the wisest man to ever live, invested three chapters of Proverbs on the subject of adultery? Actually, that’s just a rhetorical question. I think we all know why.
I am certainly not a marriage counselor, but for the last few years I have had several close friends who have gone through separations, divorces and restored marriages. Adultery has often been involved. I have learned to try not to be judgmental of “the event”; but rather, focus on what we can do to better prepare ourselves and our marriages against it.
For starters, I believe we must recognize that our work can be a significant launching pad. We spend 50% of our lives there. Over 70% of married couples both work. We spend long hours and multiple days with both men and women, building friendships and relationships. We must be on guard for the slightest crack in the door for our Enemy to start planting seeds.
Second, we must feed on God’s word and on wisdom. Proverbs gives us both!
Third, we must recognize temptations or situations which could put us in temptation. Walk away!
Last, focus on the result of the moment, not the moment.
Look long and hard at your work. What are your blind spots? Be proactive in guarding your heart!
Lord, this is a very personal, very difficult subject. Yet you talk about it over and over in your Word. Open our eyes and hearts to our danger spots. Give us the wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right, even when it’s hard…Amen
NOTE: If you would like to go deeper on this issue, let me invite you to go back to Day 5 and read the Randy Alcorn blog post that Sam Bates included in his post.
David,
Not only do we spend a lot of our time at work, the statistics about adultery at work are staggering. There are a number of sources with slightly different stats, but the net message is the same – work is the most common place for extra-marrital affairs to begin.
A quick Google search this morning turned up the following stats:
“In its 2003 nationwide survey Vault found that 47 percent of workers have participated in an office romance and an additional 19 percent would be willing to do so if the opportunity arose. Vault’s 2003 Office Romance Survey is based on responses from over 1,000 professionals at companies nationwide.”
“Between 60 and 80 percent of affairs begin through workplace connections”
Sixty to eighty percent! You were right on the money to call out the direct relevance of this particular proverb and the WorkMatters community. This is a real challenging area we face – and it’s a great opportunity for Christian men and women in the workplace to stand up against the odds.
Loving the 31 days of prayer. thanks to you and Sam for your dedication and devotion this.