Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Hotel/Motel (09/12/05)
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TITLE: Pleasure Victims | Previous Challenge Entry
By
09/16/05 -
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Adultery is unfair and snatches a lifetime of dreams for a moment of pleasure.
My family and I had traveled many miles out of the hustle and bustle of downtown Philadelphia to this ever popular tourist attraction town. Feeling worn out from the day’s excitement and sight seeing, we chose a hotel that looked ‘family friendly’ from the row of hotel/motels in our path.
We learned, soon after checking in, that a convention for a group of men was taking place in the same hotel. We considered changing hotels for fear of it getting too loud or out of hand. The clerk at the front desk assured us that they had hosted this event before and that it was all very professional. We took our key and headed up to our room.
The kids were excited about swimming with dad; mom was eager to enjoy 20 minutes of peace and quiet. As they hurried to the indoor pool, I settled in with a great book.
Taking a deep breath, resting back with my feet up in the bed, my peaceful moment was quickly interrupted. I heard voices in the next room. Trying so hard not to be nosey, and desperately wanting only to keep my mind on my own business, I turned up the volume on the TV. I could still hear giggles, laughter and casual talk coming from the room next door. It still didn’t bother me, until……I heard the outside door to the room open and close. I knew the male party had stepped outside to talk on his cell phone. This is the conversation that broke my heart:
“Hi Honey. How are the kids?”
“Yeah, things are great, here, what’s that…? Yep, it looks just like all the travel brochures.”
“I can’t wait to bring you and the kids here. The kids would love it. It will be a great family vacation.”
“OK. Well, I can’t wait to get home. Kiss the kids. Make sure you lock all the doors. Love you.”
The hotel door slammed, I heard the same male voice utter, “now, where were we?” And the giggling continued.
I cried. I prayed for the woman that was on the other end of the phone conversation. I called the front desk, and asked to be moved. I went and summoned my husband to tell him that we were no longer in the ‘old’ room.
My heart was broken that night, just by being a bystander. I knew no one involved. Why did it hurt so badly? Perhaps out of empathy for being a woman; perhaps because of indignant anger; perhaps because of the realization that adultery is a very real threat for so many.
I am blessed to say that I have learned to trust my husband; it has not always been easy. We had an unpleasant incident in our marriage, in which I discovered there was innocent work-related flirting going on and it about killed me. It ruined my self esteem, it made me doubt the vows that our marriage was based on, and it stole everything but one tiny ounce of trust and violated our commitment to love ‘one another.’ It took a long time and a lot of prayer for me to recover. I often whispered to myself, “what if it had actually been an affair?” I am not 100% sure I could have forgiven and forgotten. Thank God, I didn’t have to find out.
Adultery is not just an ugly sin. It leaves an ugly scar. It steals, kills and destroys, just as the bible advises us about our adversary, the devil.
There is so much more to the act than just sex. There are little faces looking around bedroom doors, there are little ears wondering why mom and dad are talking about ‘her’ or ‘him’, there are little eyes shedding great big tears, and there are little hearts breaking in bewilderment at the word, “divorce”.
Hate is a word not to be used in our loving Christian world. However, I must say, I hate adultery. I hate the darkness, I hate the lies and I hate the deceit. I hate what it does to families; I hate what is sacrificed for one moment of pleasure.
Families need prayer. Your family, my family and others, we need to become steadfast in our stance against this silent killer of the family unit.
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