perceptions.......

[steve]

round 2

when we feel something about another person, that feeling is based upon our perception of them. how well do we really know them? in reality our feelings are based upon our assumptions about them, the image of them that exists in our minds.
it is easy, not to mention fun, to impute things that we want to see in another person upon them. when we sometimes find out later that they did not match up to what we thought about them. do we feel decieved, or do we recognize that we wanted them to be someone that they were not?

we have seen many relationships come together quickly and fall apart just as quickly.
what i am trying to address is the mindset held by those involved. why do they feel one week as if they are "made for each other" and the next week they seem to feel that the other party was "someone that they never knew"?

the truth usually seems to be that they did not take the time to get to know the other person, but assumed that the image that was in their mind and the attributes that they imputed to that person were reality.

can a hurried relationship work out in the long run? yes, but only if one of two things exists (or a combination).
either:
A) your assumptions about the other are true (do not count on this'n )
or,
B) your committment to doing what is right carries you past the "honey-moon" stage and through the "well, this is not what i anticipated but lets work it out" stage. (hint: this stage will probably last the rest of your life, buckle up and enjoy the journey)

 

[Jim]

we have seen many relationships come together quickly and fall apart just as quickly.

It might just be infatuation and not based love.

can a hurried relationship work out in the long run? yes, but only if one of two things exists (or a combination).
either:
A) your assumptions about the other are true (do not count on this'n )
or,
B) your committment to doing what is right carries you past the "honey-moon" stage and through the "well, this is not what i anticipated but lets work it out" stage. (hint: this stage will probably last the rest of your life, buckle up and enjoy the journey)

I think the level of commitment by those involved will determine the outcome. I heard a preacher basically say that every man and woman has what the other needs. Although he was speaking on how some people may think they have settled on a relationship with someone or got into a relationship with someone, that wasn't really for the right reasons. In other words, they think they settled on God's second best for them.