The Art of True Love

Someone sent this to me recently. I was inspired to share it with you. Enjoy!

EVERY relationship has a cycle.
In the beginning, you fell in love withyour spouse.
You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and likedtheir idiosyncrasies.
Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard.
In fact, it was acompletely natural and spontaneous experience.
You didn't have to DO anything.
That's why it's called "falling" in love... because it'shappening TO YOU.
People in love sometimes say, "I was swept of my feet."
Think about theimagery of that expression.
It implies that you were just standingthere; 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 thenatural cycle of EVERY relationship.
Slowly but surely, phone callsbecome a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (whenit 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 betweenthe initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angrysubsequent stage.
At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, "Did I marrythe right person?"
And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria ofthe 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, afriendship, 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'SLEARNING 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), thereare also laws for relationships.
Just as the right diet and exerciseprogram makes you physically stronger, certain habits in yourrelationship 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