{"id":8233,"date":"2012-04-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-04-13T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites-stage.familylife.com\/flministries\/?p=8233"},"modified":"2012-04-13T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-04-13T05:00:00","slug":"sex-is-a-reflection-of-oneness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/articles\/topics\/marriage\/staying-married\/romance-and-sex\/sex-is-a-reflection-of-oneness\/","title":{"rendered":"Sex Is a Reflection of Oneness"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

\u201cI wish we would enjoy each other in bed more often, but my spouse rarely wants to make love. We have almost no sex life.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you just read that quote, did you assume that it was made by a man, or a woman? Conventional wisdom holds that husbands generally desire to have sex in their marriage more often than wives. But it appears that a growing number of marriages are experiencing the opposite problem, with wives frustrated that their husbands are uninterested in sexual relations.<\/p>\n

One of our most popular online articles is \u201cWhy Sex Is So Important to Your Husband,<\/a>\u201d by Barbara Rainey. It also has attracted a few pointed responses from wives asking us to look at the opposite problem. So we did, with an article by Dennis Rainey on \u201cWhy Sex Is So Important to Your Wife.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Comments from readers<\/h2>\n

Once again it was evident that we struck a nerve with our readers:<\/p>\n

Thank you for this article! I’m so sick of hearing sermons directed to women about how their husbands need physical intimacy. I am glad that someone recognizes the opposite problem. My husband has no idea how rejected and worthless I feel. I have spent many lonely nights crying myself to sleep over this.<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/em>
\nI have talked to my husband many times about this, and he does nothing about it \u2026 I long to feel wanted and desired by the one I love but when he doesn\u2019t show it, there are always others out there waiting to fill that place. When the one you love does not make the time to reach out and take the time to make love to you, it makes you feel rejected, unwanted, unloved, undesired, worthless, and leaves you very unsatisfied.<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/em>
\nFINALLY an article that brings a major issue to the surface! \u2026 Many wives suffer silently over the rejection of their husbands. I\u2019m just so happy to finally see FamilyLife saying it.<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/em>
\nMost people have no idea how deep the sadness reaches when your husband does not want you and puts you on a shelf. When people pay you compliments it makes you want to throw up. Because everyone thinks you\u2019re pretty but the one person you want to think so. This pain is the most soul rotting feeling I have ever known and I must know it alone. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A reflection of oneness<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s important to remember that studies show most married couples report a high level of satisfaction with their sex lives. But reading through the online comments from our readers reveals the despair that many couples feel over this issue.
\n

Can sex in Christian marriage be spectacular? See our online course!<\/i><\/span> <\/a> <\/div> <\/div><\/p>\n

Something else became evident in the stories told by readers: Their sexual dysfunction was usually not the cause of problems in their marriage, but the result<\/em> of these problems. They illustrate a truth that is taught at our Weekend to Remember marriage getaways<\/span><\/a>\u2014that \u201csexual intimacy between husband and wife is a reflection of a couple\u2019s oneness.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, difficulties in a couple\u2019s sex life often reflect deeper issues in their relationship. Are they enjoying companionship together? Are they growing in spiritual intimacy? Is anything threatening their commitment to each other? Is there unresolved conflict?<\/p>\n

A common dysfunction<\/h2>\n

Another issue that came up repeatedly in the comments was pornography<\/em>. It is evident that porn plays a large role in the dysfunction experienced by many couples. As one wife wrote:<\/p>\n

Being rejected deflates my sense of womanhood and femininity. It’s as if I’m not a person in his eyes. Our barricade to intimacy was his porn habit\/addiction. Porn and masturbation do not help a man develop communication skills, nor a desire to give during sex. <\/em><\/p>\n

The other issue coming out of this is that a wife then has to guard her heart and body from other men. Without that protection of intimacy from her husband she needs, she’s left open and unprotected. Only by the grace of God was I able to resist temptation long enough to flee it. A man lost to this leaves his wife with a lonely battle. <\/em><\/p>\n

I love this man, but often I really want to be free of this lonely ache that makes me feel like his roommate but not his wife. It’s not about being unattractive, it’s about fantasy and reality crashing between our sheets.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There are, of course, no simple answers for situations like these. When a couple is experiencing lack of intimacy to this degree, they need to reach out beyond themselves for help. As Dennis Rainey writes, \u201cFind a pastor, a counselor, or another godly man in whom you can confide. Do it for the sake of your marriage and family. Step out of the shadows of isolation and into the healing from the One who gives \u2018every good and perfect gift\u2019 (James 1:17).\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Copyright \u00a92009 by FamilyLife. All rights reserved.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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