What Comes First in a Healthy Relationship?

Is there a more important lesson in life than learning how to love? Despite how opinionated the subject, one quality remains first and foremost wherever true love is found. Whether learning how to love, falling in love, or being in love, always remember to keep one constant:

Serve Those You Love

Put love first in the relationship, literally. The degree to which you give toward another's needs before your own is directly proportional to the extent you are able to truly love someone else. We love those we serve and those who receive service develop love for those who serve them. Love does make us vulnerable, but once two people care more for the other person in the relationship, the essence of everlasting love is attainable.

Never Fall Out of Love

Yes, a reciprocal reaction to service does not automatically create romantic love-at least not at first. But when we allow ourselves to be in tune enough with another's needs to do something special for that person, this is not only where love begins, but where it develops, and continues as long as service endures. Sure, we may not allow ourselves to fall romantically in love with just anyone, but we can choose to serve everyone, making service the basis of any loving and lasting relationship. We can love all people to some degree as expressed by our level of service to any life we can touch.

Endure Rejection & Find True Love

In serving, you gain the experience and faith necessary to fully love when that opportunity arises, instead of cowering to fears not to love someone who may otherwise love you fully in return. Maybe the person you love will not fully love you back, as is more often than not the case. Rejection and restriction of the love you were willing to give inevitably brings heartache; however, if you truly allow yourself to fall in love, you will naturally seek another's happiness despite whatever comes. Those who we love most are hardest to lose, but if you have served them to your fullest you need not despair or have regrets. Love for the person whose happiness you truly cared so much about may continue without end and without any guile despite any denial of further efforts, but ultimately it will also allow you to give that needed love to others who hurt without it.

Your hurt will subside when you are no longer too tired to put forward the service necessary to love again. Take hope in knowing that when love does finally yield its returns, true love between two people has exponential results. Truly knowing another is the reason love exists. Everybody needs to love and be loved. Make your love a never-ending source to those you know and love. How? Know that true love begins and ends with true service.