Crying in Argentina

CRYING in ARGENTINA
Governor Sanford's tearful confession yesterday was just one more public breakdown of a highly respected figure that left many scratching their heads. What leads a man with everything: power, prestige, family, reputation, to ditch it all for a few hours of sexual pleasure? I have puzzled over this question since my teens when I tried to reconcile the sin and guilt I was exposed to with the Christian values I was taught, and I have taken note of men in clerical positions who “fall from grace”ever since.
My conclusion may not satisfy psychologists, but it explains a lot to me.
I believe that in many cases, infidelity is a form of suicide. Far from being a search for sexual fulfillment or conquest, though both are involved, jumping into an illicit affair guarantees the jumper that life as he knows it will never be the same. Secrecy, fear, guilt are new sensations to the “straight arrow” that give everyday living a certain tingle. And discovery virtually assures the guilty party that his previous existence is gone forever.
Answering to a church congregation or a political constituency for everything you do, say or think, is a burden none of us could bear for long. We expect super human effort and results from our leaders. Feelings of inadequacy are inevitable, and, if a leader mistakes the expectations of his public for demands from God, his only exit strategy is complete and utter failure. God's grace is sufficient. It can make us better than we want to be, and it can give us the strength to forgive ourselves for the everyday failures so we don't have to head for the exit.