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

fulfilment. Extramarital fulfilment comes in all shapes and sizes.

Infidelity is the most common. But sometimes people turn to work, a

hobby, a 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 and 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!