Long hours at work are an affair danger. Even when you are doing it for the right reasons, it’s dangerous.
I recognize that some of you are in situations where working long hours or even two jobs is a necessity. Being a necessity doesn’t lessen the risk of affairs.
Given that long hours put your marriage at risk, it helps knowing what makes long hours risky.
First, being tired is one of the factors behind many affairs. When you’re tired, you don’t think as clearly and your ability to resist temptation is weak.
Even when the devil tempted Jesus, he waited until he was in a weakened state. It’s during those times that temptations appeal to your basic drives.
Then there’s the motivation behind long hours. When the long hours are driven by the desire to get ahead, you’re wanting MORE. The MORE may be well intentioned.
You may want the MORE so that your family has more, or that you have some added security.The MORE may be about insecurities.
If your motivation is one of desperation rather than more, you are also in a vulnerable position.
That desire for MORE is often what makes you vulnerable to other temptations. Wanting more when you are tired is a one-two punch that few can survive.
Working long hours also puts you at risk for fudging on your hours. The temptation of adding a few hours to your work here and there in order to hide an affair is asking for trouble.
The more irregular the hours, the higher the risk. The further away from home, the higher the risk.
The long hours may give you a way of hiding things from your spouse, but it also puts you in danger of affair temptations.
Working long hours goes with some vocations. Long range truckers, car salesmen, lawyers, athletes, restaurant workers, hospital workers, doctors and law enforcement each are known for their long hours. They have the risk for affairs built into their profession.
If you or your spouse is in one of these professions, you’ll want to keep your marriage as healthy as you can. In the video available to members of the Restored Lifestyle community entitled “Let’s Talk”, I go into ways of keeping the lines of communication open.
You’ll need ways of staying connected and having healthy communication when faced with the danger of long hours.
Keeping It Real,
Jeff
