"Love is much more responsible.It has care in it and it involves the willingness and capacity to understand and to make the other person happy.In true love,happiness is not an individual matter.If the other person is not happy,it will be impossible for us to be happy ourselves."
(from Living Buddha,Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh).
In a world that encourages the belief that you first have to love yourself before you can love others, the above quote may seem a bit strange.In this complex and difficult world,having a lasting,fulfilling relationship with another person has never been more difficult.We see the proof of this in reports that show a divorce rate well over fifty percent and that unmarried couples are moving in and out of relationships with alarming frequency.Lets face it,the "me first" philosophy is not working.We know from scripture that God is Love;Jesus,by His life gave a perfect example of what real love is,total unselfishness typified by a desire to give to others without expecting anything in return.
This should be the model of behaviour that BOTH people in a relationship follow.In giving,we receive.
It is not surprising that people who really practice their faith are more likely to have longer and happier lives together.
It would be better for people to have never entered into a relationship,despite all the initial thrill and happiness,than to experience the pain,disappointment and heartache that comes from it breaking apart because it had too much"self" in it to begin with.
Read the words of Paul in first Corinthians,chapter thirteen, where he tells us what love is,it has been called the greatest literary passage ever written by him.As with the words of Jesus,they can give great instruction and encouragement on having and maintaining a lasting relationship.
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