Until a couple months ago, I had never heard of the name Ashley Madison. And then I turned on the news and caught a few brief comments from a news reporter and, at the point, I thought Ashley Madison was a lady with a cool combination of first names that they were doing a report about.
A few days later, I watched a news segment on Ashley Madison and quickly discovered it wasn’t a woman with a unique name… it was a go-to website for those who were seeking to have an affair.
I was heart-broken, angry, and sick to my stomach over the homes that are broken and crazy amount of money ($40 monthly…yup… that’s MONTHLY) that the founders of Ashley Madison website had made. (Our response to them is the makings for a whole ‘nother post.)
I wrote an open letter to those who might be considering adultery that week on the website and got a huge response from it.
But that was just the beginning. The hackers then hacked their way into the database and over 37,000,000 names were made public.
People scoured the list looking for the famous… and they found them – a lot of them. Looking for family and friends… and they found them. More than they imagined. Looking for their spouse, and they found them.
Perhaps your husband’s name was there. Or your best friend’s husband. Maybe a wife of someone you know. Maybe even someone you know from church or your next door neighbor.
When it all began to unfold, my heart was wrenched!
The wives whose hearts were broken that day. The husbands who never even had a clue. The children who deserve SO MUCH MORE than what their new life of shattered dreams and broken hearts is about to dole out to them.
Thousands of families devastated in the wake of the whole Ashley Madison scandal.
But adultery didn’t begin and end with Ashley Madison. That was just some sick website designed to make gajillions of dollars of the lust and loneliness of others.
So how are we to respond to the whole Ashley Madison hack deal?
1. Don’t think it couldn’t happen to you!
Oh… you might not run to a website looking for a way to run around on your man, but no one is exempt from temptation. Given the right circumstances and a weak faith, even the most upright, Jesus girl can weave herself right into a wrong relationship and look for ways to justify the unjustifiable.
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NKJV)
2. Guard your own heart and know your own weaknesses!
The tendency is to look at those who are caught up in ungodly behavior, point a finger, feel sorry for those who are affected by their behavior and somehow missing the point that somewhere along the way, that person who once seemed so strong in the faith, somehow became weak and became ensnared in their own fleshly desires.
We have to know what are weaknesses are and guard our hearts. It’s really pretty simple. Don’t watch things on television that make you think about things you shouldn’t. Don’t go to lunch with that coworker and put yourself in a compromising situation. If your marriage is tough or your discontent or lonely in your marriage, nurture your marriage. Invest your energy in fortifying your relationship with your husband instead of allowing your heart to be drawn away by a little attention or the pitter patter of a new relationship.
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 (NKJV)
3. Pray for the families of those who have been affected by Ashley Madison and by adultery.
The affects are devastating. Families are torn apart by adultery. It’s a real consequence of such a selfish sin. Pray for repentance, redemption, restoration, reconciliation, and forgiveness. These are real men and women with real children who have real lives that will inevitably be shaken to the core if their parents end up in divorce court.
As women, we need to go to war for our own families, for the families we know who are struggling, for the families that have been affected by Ashley Madison, adultery and possible divorce.
Go to war, sweet friend. And know that the war is fought best from your knees!
“Prayer is the greater work.” Oswald Chambers
4. Run!
If temptation is knocking on your heart’s door, then it’s time to run! Never stop for a second look, lean over for a soft touch, or linger longer than you should Just run for the nearest escape route and don’t look back.
God promises a way of escape. Take it my friend. Just take it!
And remember… “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)
5. Be there for those who are struggling and always point them to reconciliation.
God calls us to be there for those who are hurting. To bear one another’s burdens and to seek restoration for those who are in sin. It’s a hard journey for those one both sides of the situation to walk through. Don’t make them walk through it alone.
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1-2 (NKJV)
____________________________________________
This is just one of the helpful stories found in GETTING IT TOGETHER – 31 Days to a More Together You!
If you haven’t received your copy yet, subscribe for a daily dose of mom tips, encouragement and love and get your copy today!
- Ch…ch…ch…CHANGES Are Coming in 2017 for TMI - December 27, 2016
- What New Thing Are You Ready to See God Do in Your Life in 2017? - December 26, 2016
- Heaviness and Newness - December 23, 2016
