To be faithful is to be devoted, reliable, steadfast and unwavering. It means to be constant and to have fidelity – ultimately, faithfulness equals trust, which is an integral part of our original marriage vows and pledge to one another.

Since exploration and discovery is such an important part of life, and what fueled the original interest in our spouse, we must continue to feed this part of our marriage relationship, (as well as our relationship with God), in order to keep it healthy and growing.

Faithfulness is a critical component of this, as it allows our spouse to feel secure, which ultimately builds strength and trust, allowing us to explore deeper depths and climb to higher heights.  When we trust our mate, and feel secure in the relationship, we let our guard down and allow our spouse to penetrate deeper into the undiscovered territory of our soul.  It also makes us more willing to reveal and expose our deepest feelings and inner secrets, which brings us even closer.  When we feel insecure and fearful, due to a lack of trust, it causes us to clam up and close the door to deeper exploration and, ultimately, the excitement and fulfillment of discovery.

Without faithfulness (or trust), we can only experience a shallow relationship with our spouse and, conversely, with God, as we will never trust them enough to allow them into the deepest parts of our being.  Consequently, those undiscovered, inner rooms of our soul will be shut off and inaccessible to anyone, including God, ultimately depriving us (and them) of greater discovery and the spiritual growth that results from such exploration.  Without this continued growth, relationships can become stagnant and boring, causing us to seek alternative forms of fulfillment.