Have you ever heard about sacrificial love? Well, it’s nothing but a form of love that requires selfless and genuine behavior towards your partner.
Love is one of the most beautiful things you can ever experience if it’s with the right person.
To love someone, you have to not only understand the love of God but show them. It’s not enough to know that you need to make your spouse happy, you have to go out & do things for them.
It’s hard to tell whether people really mean it when they say “I can do anything for you” these days. Too often, relationships are spoiled by selfishness.
It might sound romantic, but this doesn’t always lead to the kind of sacrificial love that marriage is based on.
Therefore, any relationship requires sacrifices; it might be small or huge. But it’s necessary to avoid selfishness in order to sustain relationships.
In this article, you will come to know about sacrificial love and how you can use it to improvise your relationship or marriage.
Sacrificial Love Infographics
Sacrificial Love Meaning
Summary
Sacrificial love, also known as agape love, is the type of trust that can hold marriages together. It’s selfless, unconditional which means it helps with forgiveness in arguments, respect when raising children, and uniting as a family.
Sacrifice is important in any relationship, it could be with your parents, siblings, spouse or anyone. It means loving the other person without expecting anything back and doing what you do for them without thinking about how it might affect you.
Giving up some of your own desires can be a key component to maintaining happy relationships, whether it’s in the context of love or friendships.
Sometimes we’re scared to want something too much for ourselves if it means sacrificing the other people in our life. We may be holding back love because of fear of rejection, codependency, unrequited love, or other causes.
Unfortunately, there are still a lot of couples who lack romantic and intimate love. People believe that when this romantic love is not shared in their relationship, there’s no incentive to hold it together.
But sacrificial love acts as an adhesive that keeps your marriage intact so you can focus on the other areas which need work.
Here are some ways that sacrificial love is lived out in marriage:
- Men need love too, and it’s important to remember that when you don’t necessarily like them or think they deserve it.
- You should never neglect your family, even if they don’t show their appreciation sometimes.
- That’s not an easy thing to do but you can have a little more patience with them. We all make mistakes and sometimes we need mercy, too.
- Put your partner’s needs before your own.
Characteristics of Sacrificial Love
It’s great that you want to help couples love one another self-sacrificially at home.
What do you think this looks like practically?
Are there any ideas that can be communicated to show each spouse the importance of self-sacrifice?
They can start by being generous in the way they speak and behave towards each other, treating their partner as well as they would treat themselves, and having empathy for one another’s needs.
Here are a few characteristics to help couples transition from self-centered marriages to ones that also focus on their partners.
1. Sacrificial love is evidence of repentance of selfishness
It’s pretty likely that you share the same mindset, but even if you don’t, you’ll still be able to have an honest discussion.
If you can get a husband and wife to take a break in their marriage and acknowledge their self-focused tendencies, there is an opportunity for the couple to re-think that decision and repent.
It’s understandable to want to point the finger at someone else when things go wrong, but spouses can take a small step by turning inward and taking personal responsibility.
2. Sacrificial love acts first before feeling
People often only love others after being loved by themselves first. Think about that for a second. Who started this cycle? Not the one who loves selflessly but the one who is loved.
One of the most common problems in marriage is getting couples to live out the theological insights they’ve acquired.
For example, they may read passages that tell them to love one another, but because they don’t feel a loving sentiment for their partner.
Generally speaking, when we do things out of love, it’s often followed by feelings.
Couples who are married and in love find that they spend time waiting for their spouse to fall in love with them again and wait for the same feeling on the other side before they truly reciprocate.
The result is a vicious cycle of rejection and selfishness that leaves people feeling unfulfilled and unhappy with themselves.
Ironically, on the other side of the marriage, both parties are thinking to themselves that their spouse is kind of prickly. They’re both waiting for the other to take action.
We must live this out through how we grant and accept sincere love from our spouse. We do this by accepting them unconditionally, not just according to our own desires but according to their own as well.
Understanding what you and your partner need out of the relationship in order to feel loved does not mean it’s their responsibility to make you happy every second.
3. Sacrificial love in the small things
You can see self-sacrificial love in the small things, like how a couple takes care of their spouse or family.
The idea of sacrificial love might sound good on paper, but there is more to it than meets the eye when you’re actually in a marriage.
Husbands and wives have to be willing to show love to one another in all aspects of life. As a result, they’ll be presenting themselves as a holy and pleasing sacrifice.
It’s not always necessary to sacrifice big things but small things play a huge role in a relationship. You can simply watch a movie with them or cook their favorite dish by sacrificing your precious time.
These small actions matter a lot to lead a relationship and make it successful with love and respect.
4. Sacrificial love will pursue your spiritual well being, which in turn leads to a sense of oneness
It is believed that all kinds of intimacy – physical and emotional – come from a person’s spiritual intimacy. Without it, it’s near impossible to give anything meaningful.
It’s hard to see married couples with difficulties who haven’t been lacking in this area. The spirituality in marriage helps build deeper spiritual intimacy.
As husband and wife draw closer spiritually, they’ll also draw closer to each other.
Patience and understanding with each other grow when both focus on spending time with him and obey his responsibilities.
It’s all about the individual spouse. It helps put the responsibility back onto each person. You need to focus on your relationship with the creator, tending to any weeds of sin which come in crowds and obscure your love for him.
It’s about exercising caution and restraint in situations involving other people. It’s not about what has to be done to change or correct your spouse.
That way, it helps us appreciate the good things in life and avoid spending too much time criticizing, blaming or badgering people around us.
This can be a tough reality to deal with, but they should know that there are no techniques – tried time and time again – that will produce the desired effect.
Sacrificial Love in Relationships
When you have been the shoulder to cry on for a person in need, often abandoning other plans to be there when they need you most. It’s really something that binds good people together.
Small gestures often go overlooked but can mean the world to the people you care about. Sacrifices in relationships are an indication that you’re committed to those you love.
The idea of self-sacrifice is found to be very powerful. Sacrifices build strong character, shared intimacy, and deep trust in our relationships.
Sacrificing in relationships doesn’t have to be these all-encompassing gestures. Small things can also make a big difference.
They are small, everyday actions that are motivated by giving. Think picking up groceries when you know someone is just too tired.
Why is it important?
It’s just a little gift that makes life easier.
Sacrifices are always hard, but they’re ultimately necessary if you want to maintain good relationships. As it turns out, there’s a direct correlation between the size of a sacrifice and relationship satisfaction.
Putting your time and devotion into a partner doesn’t make you a pushover. It means you’re a giving human being and that will be repaid 10-fold!
In a relationship, it is important to give a little to get a little and sacrifice for the person you love. Take some time to think about everything you are willing to do for the person you’re committed to.
- How do you feel when your partner is exhausted and has picked up on many of the household duties that usually fall to you such as cooking dinner?
- Do you make time for your partner during the day?
- Do you offer a place for them to share their deep thoughts even when you’re feeling worn out?
- Is there something you could give up in order to spend more time with your love & commit to this relationship?
What should you sacrifice in a relationship?
One way to have fulfilling relationships is to make sure you connect with your partner and their needs and don’t go too far in giving at the expense of your own. Here’s a list of things you can be okay about sacrificing for a healthy relationship:
1. Your personal goal
It’s not uncommon for one partner to have to sacrifice their own goals. For instance, they may have to decline a promotion because of child care responsibilities.
As long as both partners are willing to make sacrifices at some point, the relationship should be just fine.
When a couple decides to start a family, there are many adjustments that need to be made. One of the most common is the need for one partner to sacrifice their career goals in order to provide childcare.
As long as both partners are willing, this situation can be a positive thing.
2. Self-centered nature
In a close relationship, you need to put in enough effort. How can you expect to make it work if your life is only about “myself?” Both partners have to try and understand each other’s lifestyles and perspectives.
A relationship without compromise will not work. Being selfless isn’t something that only the other person needs to do – you need to be willing to compromise just as much, if not more.
It’s important to remember that a relationship is a two-way street. You have to be willing to compromise and put in the work just as much as your partner does.
You don’t need to sacrifice who you are for the sake of someone else, but you should be willing to make some changes for their sake – and vice versa.
3. Bad attitude
It’s important to find a healthy balance between the two partners, where neither of them feels uncomfortable.
Finally, while sometimes you’ll need to make sacrifices for relationships, it’s important that you ask yourself why. It is important to know if the gift is for your partner’s happiness or for some other reason.
Gifts to improve someone’s life or make them happy may lead to a feeling of closeness and trust. But gifts that are given in exchange for something in return can be very dangerous, specifically when it comes to money.
There is a high chance that this could lead to some serious debt problems in the future and possibly even relationship problems.
4. Past habits
It is important to focus on the qualities in a partner that do not contribute to the health of a relationship, such as bottling up emotions, running away after conflict, etc.
List all the personal habits that might be hurting your relationship and try to change them.
There are many different problems that can arise in a relationship, but the environment you create in your home is one of the most influential factors.
There might be some common habits that could be hurting your relationship and you need to change them.
5. Habit of being unjust
You’re not doing anyone any favors by dwelling on old grievances and keep bringing them up.
It’s a waste of time and energy that could be better spent on building a new and happy future.
Grievances are the beginning of change. To heal yourself and not hold onto anger, you need to be able to let go. It’s probably for the best that they’re gone for your mental health as well.
No one needs to be perfect all the time and it might actually be impossible. It’s exhausting and not worth pursuing.
Relationships also become more difficult if you’re constantly convinced that you’re right and the other side is always wrong. It might be hard to find someone who’s confident that they’re never right.
6. Interest and hobbies that your partner doesn’t like
Maintaining hobbies & interests is really important and can bring a lot of self-fulfillment. You owe it to yourself as well as the relationship to stand up for your rights when someone tells you to give something up.
Hobbies can sometimes be difficult to juggle with a relationship and what your partner wants. But, if you genuinely enjoy them & they don’t directly conflict with your partner’s hobbies, then it shouldn’t be an issue.
What should you not sacrifice in a relationship?
Trying to change who you are for someone you love is a dangerous game.
If your partner can’t accept who you are and it has nothing to do with them, then your identity gets lost in the process and so does the happiness that comes with it.
Relationships where your partner always sacrifices his/her identity tend to go downhill. Knowing when it’s too much can help you figure out if he’s being used or is in a loving relationship.
Below is the stuff that you may not have to sacrifice in a relationship. Let’s understand them.
1. Your friends and families
Nobody who cares about you should ask to be your only friend.
If your partner keeps asking you to cut ties with close friends, it’s not an overreaction to consider whether it would be better to keep your friends and break up with your partner.
When it comes to spending time with family, you make the decisions. Your partner shouldn’t try to decide how much time you spend with your family.
If a family member asks for help with something, it’s your place (not your partner’s) to decide what to do.
2. Your freedom
Pretending to be someone you are not is tough on anyone, even just for a relationship. You’re allowed to keep your independence.
No partner should ask you to give up control over your bank account, business or personal project just so they can feel better. But there are ways of being vulnerable and letting your guard down without giving up everything.
3. Your self-love and self-esteem
You should never sacrifice yourself to the point where you hurt your own feelings. People who are too demanding will make you feel bad about yourself and you’ll both be miserable in the long run.
To cope with this, you need to stand up for yourself. If you’re assertive in defending your needs, then those who exploit that desire to keep the peace will be immersed as well.
If you invest too much in the relationship, you may lose yourself. You are unique with your own thoughts, feelings, and values.
You don’t need to change anything about yourself to have love in your life. And no one who loves you will want you to.
4. Your health and peace
A committed relationship can affect many aspects of your life and make you feel tired sometimes. It shouldn’t be damaging, though. In fact, it should bring you peace.
Making someone happy might be preventing you from getting regular health care or pursuing your spiritual interests? Talk to someone about it.
Staying on top of your workload isn’t easy, and it can take a serious toll if you keep pushing.
5. Losing yourself
Losing yourself to be there for those around you is a big sacrifice when all you want to do is spend time with them. But it also means that you will have a lot more free time.
Don’t be too concerned. You can’t please everyone, but try your best to include some of these.
It’s not going to make them any happier if they get their way every time – you’ll just end up having no say in anything.
Ways to practice sacrificial love in a relationship
Any relationship needs sacrifices. When you people decide to share life together, they have to go through a lot of faces in life. And one of them is making sacrifices to be with your partner.
However, the definition of sacrifice is different for every person. Some might think it only means making compromises for adjusting in one’s life.
But, some might believe that it is not really necessary to make sacrifices for being with someone.
If you are someone who wants a happy and healthy relationship then making sacrifices is a part of it.
But how can you sacrifice love for your partner? It’s not necessary to prove your love by giving up something precious or making irrelevant sacrifices.
For making your job easier, you can follow these ways and make your partner feel precious and loved.
Read on to find out.
1. Do serious things that you can do to show that you care
You can go beyond the typical date night and do something a little more personalized to really show your partner how much they mean to you.
This category might contain some tasks you’re not totally keen on but are willing to do for the person you love because it means a lot to them.
For example, you might not want to work an overtime shift at your job and you take it because your family needs the money.
It’s great when someone notices you going out of your way to do something thoughtful, like washing a load of dishes or vacuuming the house.
They’ll appreciate what you’re doing and it will mean a lot to them because they’ll see that it’s important to you that they always have their needs met and that the family is taken care of.
The holidays are a time to spend with your loved ones, but maybe you don’t get along with those who are an integral part of their family.
Your partner knows that this makes you uncomfortable, but they also know how important it is for you to spend time with them since they have made a big effort to make it possible for you.
2. Sacrificing career that demands your time and energy
There are some careers that are really demanding of your time and energy. You end up coming home late at night and exhausted all the time.
All you really want to do when you get home is sleep, but tomorrow you’ll have to wake up early for work yet again.
It’s normal that your significant other will get frustrated with a setup like this, but you might be able to fix it by just listening more.
Some people choose to switch careers or get a job that requires less of their time so they can dedicate more of the remaining time to their loved ones.
When married, there is sometimes the sacrifice of a career. This often goes to the wife who leaves her job to take care of the family – especially their children.
Some people will give up their careers and take a lower-paying job so they can live near their home and family.
3. Leaving your place to live with them together
If you’re in a different town and your partner is also in a different town, you’ll need to ask where they work and, once you know where it is, whether or not you’re ok with moving there.
Some couples will decide that it’s too hard for one person to make the move solo so they share the burden. Whichever decision is made this week always settles down.
You don’t seem too excited to move there, but it’s the only way you’ll be able to see each other. On the bright side though, you’ll soon find that place isn’t so bad once you live there. Way better than staying thousands of miles away!
4. If necessary, sacrificing religion
In many relationships, one of the most difficult sacrifices to make is converting to their partner’s faith. For some people, however, there’s a big payoff in what they see as the spiritual world.
For example, if you were raised a Catholic and have devoted your life to being religious, rejecting your religion is going to be difficult.
Despite what many people think, love isn’t just about finding someone who is close to you. Deep and meaningful relationships with your spouse can be formed by respecting their beliefs & faith. This would create a better bond with your partner.
That being said, there are also relationships that work out even if the couple belongs to a different faith. The sacrifice in this situation is to give each other a great deal of respect when it comes to their beliefs and not misunderstand each other.
5. Sacrifice living alone
Sometimes relationships require you to scale back your activities, but meeting the right person can make these changes worth it.
All you want to do when dating someone is spend all of your time with him or her. Some people would sacrifice everything for love.
They might even cut other people out of their life if those individuals don’t support their relationship with the special someone. It’s a sad reality but when you love someone, you’re willing to do pretty much anything.
6. Bad habits your partner doesn’t like
Both men and women have their way of enjoying life. Once they get into a serious relationship, they would avoid similar things to what their significant other does.
We often hear stories of couples saying “he changed me” or “she changed me.”
In reality, it’s the other way around; your significant other is just there to support you and help you change. You changed because you wanted to, and it was out of love.
7. Listen to them every time
Sacrificial love tells us that there are times when we need to keep quiet and times when it’s appropriate to speak up. For example, when we witness injustice or need to call out people who are behaving unethically.
Love is the process of having to sacrifice your own opinion from time to time so that you can have an open dialogue with your partner.
This is crucial for any strong relationship because it ensures that both people are on board with the decision and understand how it will affect them.
You show someone you care and respect them by really listening when they talk so they know you’re right there with them.
And this will make your partner more open to telling you what’s happening inside their head, which will make overall communication easier.
8. Spend time with them
In order to make time for your loved ones, you are giving up on some of the free evenings and weekends that you could have spent doing the things you love.
The world is full of things to do, places to go, and people to see. It’s difficult to find the time for yourself amidst all the chaos.
That said, it’s equally important to take care of yourself by having “me-time” and spending quality time with those you love.
9. Keep your promises
Being a partner, you should always keep your promises. In simple words, if you have told your partner that you will do this for them in the coming future, then you should do it when that particular time arrives.
For instance, if you are telling your partner that I will take you to Paris after two months, then you should fulfill that promise after two months.
However, you should try your best to do so until or unless there will be some emergency or any happenings occur. But you should clarify that if something happens like that.
In this matter, if you leave your work and give your best time to your partner, this is considered as a sign of sacrifice for your love.
10. Have sympathy and empathy
Empathy for your spouse is essential and can benefit your relationship in a variety of ways. It allows you to see things from their point of view and make decisions that please both parties.
Being able to identify with the other person’s feelings will make it easier for you to develop emotional intimacy.
In order to establish emotional intimacy, it is important to have a mutual understanding of the other person’s feelings. We all know that this is not always easy, but there are ways to make it easier.
One way is by asking open-ended questions, which will help you understand their emotions better and make them feel like you care about what they’re going through.
11. Give your best without expecting
Sacrificing yourself for your partner often means sacrificing time, emotional labor, and empathy.
According to a study, people who live with their partners give 53% more of themselves than those who don’t.
This is because they are often sacrificing time, emotional labor, and empathy for the well-being of their partner.
You show your partner love not because you want something in return, but because you love them.
The old saying “you get out what you put in” is really true. If you are always looking for ways to make your partner’s life better and more stress-free, they’ll likely return the favor.
12. Avoid distractions while being together
Instead of watching TV all evening and texting on your phone, try to reconnect with your partner.
Technology is ruining our ability to have face-to-face conversations with one another and this can lead to increased feelings of loneliness.
It’s not uncommon for people to spend their evenings watching TV and texting on the phone.
Try switching up your evenings by getting off of social media, turning off the TV, and talking with your partner instead!
It is said that spending quality time with your significant other can help improve intimacy in your relationship, provide a better sex life, lower divorce rates & help you communicate better with your partner.
This also results in stronger feelings of commitment and togetherness as a couple.
13. Work through the hard times
Relationships take a lot of effort and if you’re finding it hard to be happy in your marriage then maybe you need to look at that relationship more closely.
Instead of giving up or settling for a marriage that doesn’t work, sacrificial love for your partner will drive you to keep working on your marriage.
Married couples usually have to work together to sacrifice for each other at some point. It is believed that forgiveness is important in this context because it leads to lower stress levels and improved mental health.
14. Try new things to keep the relationship fresh
Mixing sacrifice and love is good when it’s managed properly. Sacrificial love often involves doing things for your partner even when you don’t feel like it.
There are so many ways to show a spouse how much you love them. Shoveling the snowy driveway because they hate it. Making breakfast for them on early Saturday mornings.
Watching movies they love, even when you’re not interested in the genre. Putting your family ahead of yourself, whether it’s for something as simple as making dinner or walking the dog.
Putting the needs of your partner before your own is necessary for a successful relationship, but you shouldn’t be doing things that make you uncomfortable, just for their sake.
Crossing personal boundaries is not an aspect of marriage that means sacrifice.
Sacrificing aspects of your personality to maintain a marriage is not necessary. The important thing to remember is that you can have as many different personalities as you want and still have a successful marriage.
15. Pray for your spouse
One of the easiest ways to start this is to simply pray for your wife or husband. It’s not enough to pray for their needs, but even about what they hope for and dream for both at work and home.
Pray too that God would give them wisdom in relationships with others.
There are many ways to pray for your spouse, and one of them is having faith that they deepen their relationship with God. It’s also imperative to have faith that both you and your spouse are raising children who will know the Lord.
No, it doesn’t mean that you should pray to change your spouse – or their traits. You’re praying for them to succeed and for you to be the support they need.
God might help ‘fix’ our other half in a different way than what we’ll like – but it’s best that we listen and let Him do as He wants.” If you pray for your spouse to change, stop yourself.
Sacrificial love means praying for your spouse in a way that acknowledges you see him or her as God’s creation.
16. Pray for yourself
If you’re religious, look to prayer and sacrificial love Bible verses for guidance.
Jesus sacrificed a lot from love and was always happy to do so. His attitude was always positive and kind, even when he was tired
He taught us that we should never be upset with people and always be kind to others. He sacrificed a lot of himself for love, as he died on the cross for our sins.
There are many scriptures relating to the importance of sacrifice and love. These scriptures can help guide you on your journey to mastering agape love in your marriage.
Prayer can be a valuable tool for people who have strong faith. It’s not just a way to find comfort, but also a way to shift perspective when they are going through difficult times.
Prayer can help people come closer together and make them feel more loved by God. Therefore, you should pray to god for the betterment of your relationship.
Examples of Sacrificial Love
People change over time, they grow and evolve as they spend their days with those they love. When you’re in love, you focus on the one who is by your side, and your life changes in that way.
Some relationships can be hard to maintain and it doesn’t feel good to have to give up a lot just for your partner. If you’re the only one who’s invested while they’re not giving anything in return, then your relationship might be toxic.
Here are a few examples to help you make the right decisions so that the little sacrifices you make in your relationship bring joy and happiness to you and your partner.
1. Putting your partner before you
It’s said that you need to love yourself before you can love somebody else.
That may be an oversimplification, but the reality is that if you are not ok with your own self, then it may be difficult for others to trust you in time and formation.
Once you’ve gotten to this point, it means you’re a very solid and mature individual. You’re in a state where you can tell your loved one anything and they won’t judge you.
There’s a step that comes after just wanting a partner to be happy and ensuring their needs are met. It’s when you start putting your own wants & needs on the back burner in favor of theirs.
One example is sacrificing the things you want but they don’t in order to make them happier or vice versa.
Giving up the last slice of pizza might not seem like a big sacrifice, but it could mean letting them decide which movie you’re going to watch or where you’re going for dinner.
Helping your partner in little ways shows them how much you care.
They should appreciate that and try to help you back. That’s how lasting relationships usually work, and how you let someone know that their feelings for you are still there.
2. Giving them time that they deserve
Do you ever wonder if all of your sacrifices (in a relationship) are worth it? People often find themselves wondering how much time should be devoted to spending the rest of their life with someone.
In the end, we all have lives and there will always be a balance that needs to exist between ourselves and our significant other.
Having time to spend with a partner shows that they care. You need to spend as much time with your partner as possible, if you want to really see results and enjoy strong bonding.
It’s a pretty clear trade-off when it comes to being an in-demand couple. You know you want your partner but you also want the time to yourself so that you can do what you enjoy.
It feels natural but if either of those things isn’t doing it for you, let them know and they can work on finding a way to resolve it.
3. Taking care of their materialistic needs
Relationships need a lot of time & effort and require you to sacrifice a lot. That includes gifting your partner every now & then. It’s important to do that.
The idea of compromising has to do with more than just giving in to your partner’s requests. It includes difficult conversations and making compromises like adjusting how much you spend.
When one partner is a saver and the other is a spender, they may argue. In order to prevent this from happening, you should figure out which areas of your spending habits need to undergo change.
If you share an income, how much you spend from that money is up to you. It’s important to be sensitive to your partner’s spending habits and only purchase what is necessary.
In relationships, it can be easy to assume that your partner will spend money in the same way you do. This can lead to disagreements where one person feels like their partner is spending too much.
It’s important to be sensitive to your partner’s spending habits and only purchase what is necessary.
4. Putting your effort and energy
You should take care of yourself. That’s why if you’re running low on energy, it’s better to not say yes to a date invitation. It is important to make time for your own needs, too!
A healthy relationship is so important that partners would spend time with each other even if it involved sacrificing their own sleep.
Giving attention to your relationship and all aspects of your life is important. You could get really guilty if your partner needed help and you weren’t there for them.
It’s the same when you need help from them–you’ll really appreciate it.
Plus, they won’t feel guilty about not being there for you if you helped out with something important first.
Relationships are important and two people involved must be willing to give as much effort as possible. For this reason, it can be tough to manage your time and you may find yourself feeling too tired.
However, if you make an effort to fit activities with your partner in, this should alleviate some of the stress on yourself so that less energy is spent on them and more is spent on yourself.
5. Being a perfect partner as much as possible
Everybody is human and nobody’s perfect. In some cases, our family & friends will disappoint us too. Just because they don’t always do what we want them to, it doesn’t mean that they’re terrible people
Understand what motivates your partner, then find the best ways to show them how much you appreciate the effort they make when trying to make you happy.
In return, they’ll put more effort into doing something small for you that may not take much of their time. Perfectionism can make us expect too much from ourselves and other people.
This can then lead to arguments and breakdowns in relationships.
6. Avoiding self-centeredness
Focusing too much on your own needs only serves to damage your relationship. Advice-giving partners do not care how they might be affecting their partner’s feelings and generally don’t inspire affection in them.
Advice-giving partners can be a problem in a relationship. They are not interested in how their words might affect their partner, and as such, they generally don’t inspire affection.
Advice givers also tend to take up too much space in their communication with their partner, so the advice-giving partner will often feel like they are doing more than their fair share of the talking.
Relationships need to be mutually beneficial in order for them to be good for both parties.
One person may give a little more than the other, but as long as each partner feels like that is something they owe their partner, a happy relationship will follow.
Even the scriptures tell us that we should put up with one another, as love means compromising. It should be a two way relationship where both of you are willing to make sacrifices.
7. Not being a private person to some extent
Today, more than ever before, people are becoming more and more concerned with how their information is stored and used.
With the prevalence of social media, apps and the internet in general, many people are wondering how to avoid sharing their personal information.
Is it a bad idea to sacrifice your privacy in a relationship? If you’ve chosen someone to share your life with they will eventually find out secrets.
It’s natural that your partner would want to get to know more about you and things like where you work and what you do in your spare time.
That’s not just your job and interests. It also includes your hobbies, spare time, people you spend it with and your secrets.
As a couple, you’ll need to sacrifice your privacy to some extent. You’ll need to share personal info if you live together or intend on getting married or having kids.
A word from ThePleasantRelationship
Sacrificial or agape love is often revered as the highest form of love. Self-sacrificial love is broad, but it can really improve your relationship if you try.
Practicing sacrifice in a marriage means learning to listen, putting in the extra mile for your partner, and empathizing with their feelings.
It also means giving when you don’t require anything in return and remaining resilient during challenging times.
When both partners make sacrifices for the other partner, you will experience a closer connection with that person and in turn, have a happier marriage.
Are you interested to know more about ‘Friendship to Love’ then click here?
