Nice Quote

If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let you hand go. But if you hold my hand, i know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go.

DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?

(Dr. John C. Maxwell)

During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said, "How do I know if I married the right person?" I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, "It depends. Is that your husband?" 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.

Here's the answer: EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies.

Falling in love with your spouse 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... Because it's happening TO YOU.

People in love sometimes say, "I was swept of my feet." Think about the imagery of that expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU. Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience.

But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It's the 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, but if you think about your marriage, 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 spouse might start asking, "Did I marry the right person?" And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, church, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. 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 MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You can't "find" LASTING love. You have to "make" it day in and day out. That's why we have the expression "the labor of love." Because it takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it takes WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.

Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage.

Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships.
Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger.
It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable. .. you can "make" love.

Love in marriage is indeed a "decision".. . Not just a feeling.
"Though you cannot go back and make a brand new start, my friend. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new end."

Cinta; antara kesempatan dan pilihan

Cinta; antara kesempatan dan pilihan

Ketika kita berada di tempat pada saat yang tepat, Itulah kesempatan.
Ketika kita bertemu dengan seseorang yang membuatmu tertarik, Itu bukan pilihan, itu kesempatan.
Bertemu dalam suatu peristiwa bukanlah pilihan, Itupun adalah kesempatan.

Bila kita memutuskan untuk mencintai orang tersebut, Bahkan dengan segala kekurangannya, Itu bukan kesempatan, itu adalah pilihan.
Ketika kita memilih bersama dengan seseorang walaupun apapun yang terjadi, Itu adalah pilihan.
Bahkan ketika kita menyadari bahwa masih banyak orang lain Yang lebih menarik, lebih pandai, lebih kaya daripada pasanganmu Dan tetap memilih untuk mencintainya, Itulah pilihan.

Perasaan cinta, simpatik, tertarik, Datang bagai kesempatan pada kita.
Tetapi cinta sejati yang abadi adalah pilihan. Pilihan yang kita lakukan.

Berbicara tentang pasangan jiwa, Ada suatu kutipan dari film yang mungkin sangat tepat:
"Nasib membawa kita bersama, tetapi tetap bergantung pada kita bagaimana membuat semuanya berhasil"

Pasangan jiwa bisa benar-benar ada. Dan bahkan sangat mungkin ada seseorang Yang diciptakan hanya untukmu.
Tetapi tetap berpulang padamu untuk melakukan pilihan apakah engkau ingin melakukan sesuatu untuk mendapatkannya, atau tidak...
Kita mungkin kebetulan bertemu pasangan jiwa kita, Tetapi mencintai dan tetap bersama pasangan jiwa kita, Adalah pilihan yang harus kita lakukan.

Kita ada di dunia bukan untuk mencari seseorang yang sempurna untuk dicintai TETAPI untuk belajar mencintai orang yang tidak sempurna dengan cara yang sempurna (in that case, it might take a lifetime).

Life isn't about becoming somebody elses perfect person. It's about finding someone who helps you become the best person you can be!