Saturday, June 11, 2011

Who's First

Which is greater....to love or be loved?  Who should be first in a relationship, you or your loved one?  Your answers may determine just how long your relationship lasts.  I'm not a relationship expert, however, this year's blog theme, love, has me asking myself lots of questions about it.  The deeper I dig, the more questions I find.

Happy marriages seem to have one common denominator.  Each partner is willing to make sacrifices for the other and put themselves in second position.  In order to be loved, we must be able to love.  There is give and take in every relationship.  Both sides need to give.  A taker will drain a giver until there is nothing left to give.

Think of love as gasoline.  Your tank needs to be refilled or you will run out of gas and end up stranded.  Fill up your loved one's gas tank regularly and don't wait for the warning light to turn on before you refuel.  In marriage, each spouse is responsible for the other one's gas tank.  If you want two cars to be parked in your garage, make sure your loved one always has enough gas to return home.

Love is complicated.  Each of us requires our own special fuel.  Don't make your loved one guess about your octane preferences.  Communicate.  When the going gets tough, don't be afraid to give your loved one some fuel additive.  This may be some counseling or some special date nights.  If you learn to put your loved one first, you both win.  It is a two-way street.  Make sure both of you are watching the other's fuel gauge and keep those tanks topped off.

No comments: