Backup Husband?

When the going gets tough, the tough get going — to the next husband! I’m all for a backup on computer hard drives, a backup on internet passwords, and a backup in baseball. But a backup mate? According to a published survey in the Daily Mail, 1000 married women were questioned as to whether they had someone waiting in the wings if their marriage went south. Half said they did. Some said they had more than one backup, usually an old friend or ex. Ten percent said the backup had already confessed love and was waiting for things in the marriage to worsen. Twenty-five percent of women admitted they felt as emotionally strong toward the backup as their spouse.

Obviously, trying to make a marriage successful while wasting energy on the “what-ifs” undermines success in the present relationship. The Mail likened it to “boarding a vacation cruise wearing a life jacket for the duration of the trip.” What’s apparently missing with many in this survey is that having a backup could well be the reason the marriage doesn’t work. This all reminds us how narcissistic and self-indulgent many have become. Jesus said (Luke 12:34), “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” One’s spouse should be the ultimate treasure. And if a marriage does fail, God forbid that it should be because of a backup “treasure.”