Proverbs 6:30-35

³⁰ People do not despise a thief if he steals
    to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
³¹ but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
    he will give all the goods of his house.
³² He who commits adultery lacks sense;
    he who does it destroys himself.
³³ He will get wounds and dishonor,
    and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
³⁴ For jealousy makes a man furious,
    and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
³⁵ He will accept no compensation;
    he will refuse though you multiply gifts.

These passages seem to be speaking of the character of a man and the intentions of a man’s heart.  We are comparing a thief who steals to survive- to a man that commits adultery.  One is satisfying a human need, while the other satisfies the lusts of the flesh.  Need vs. want. Survival vs. desire. Solomon is very clear that there is no good that comes from walking this path.
The repercussions of the two getting caught are as different as night and day.  The thief will pay back sevenfold what he took, giving over even the goods of his house to payback the debt.  For him, the thievery was about survival not gluttony.The thievery that takes place in adultery is promised disgrace, wounds and dishonor. Jealousy is a formidable foe.
I am so grateful that we have a Savior that is always ready to forgive, through our repentant heart. Left to our own devices we are a mess waiting to get messier. We are in desperate need of a Savior to save us from ourselves.  There are some circumstances that we may get ourselves into where forgiveness is not readily available from those that we have hurt. No matter what we do, or how we approach them – the wedge between is too great to be crossed through the footsteps of one.  There was a time that I worked with women that were serving jail time.  Through addictions, prostitution and bad choices, their families had given up on them. I would offer them arms to hold and an ear to listen, with truth, grace and mercy sprinkled liberally through our bible studies. I told them that we can only be responsible for our own hearts and getting our own heart right with the Lord.  We have control over changing our behavior and making better choices. We can pray for those that we have hurt- but reconciliation may not be forthcoming.  Give it to the Lord- He is the one that works in hearts and raises dry bones to life.  He can resurrect relationships that are dead, through our repentant, prayerful hearts.  Take care of your heart and let Him take care of the rest.