A red this text onde and found it to be interesting, so here it is.
ARE YOU WITH THE RIGHT PARTNER?
During a seminar, a woman asked, "How do I know if I am with the right person?" The author then noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so he said, "It depends. Is that your partner?" In all seriousness, she
answered "How do you know?" Let me answer this question because the
chances are good that it's weighing on your mind replied the author. Here's the
answer. Every relationship has a cycle… In the beginning; you fall in love with
your partner. You anticipate their calls, want their touch, and like their
idiosyncrasies. Falling in love wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely
natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why
it's called "falling" in love. People in love sometimes say, "I
was swept of my feet."Picture the expression. It implies that you were
just standing there; doing nothing, and then something happened TO YOU. Falling
in love is a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few months or
years of being together, the euphoria of love fades. It's a natural cycle of
EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they
come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's
idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts. The symptoms of this
stage vary with every relationship; you will notice a dramatic difference
between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry
subsequent stage. At this point, you and/or your partner might start asking,
"Am I with the right person?" And as you reflect on the euphoria of
the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone
else. This is when relationships breakdown. The key to succeeding in a
relationship is not finding the right person; it's learning to love the person
you found. People blame their partners for their unhappiness and look outside
for fulfillment. Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes.
Infidelity is the most common. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby,
friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma
does NOT lie outside your relationship. It lies within it. I'm not saying that
you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY you'd
feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because
(listen carefully to this): The key to succeeding in a Relationship is not
finding the right person; it's learning to love the Person you found.
SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. You have to work on
it day in and day out. It takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly,
it demands WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make it work. Make no mistake
about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or
without your partner), Just as there are physical laws Of the universe (such as
gravity), there are also laws for relationships. If you know how to apply these
laws, the results are predictable. Love is therefore a "decision".
Not just a feeling. Remember this always: God determines who walks into your
life. It is up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and
who you refuse to let GO!
