Infatuation or True Love

-

In recent years, marital breakdown has become proliferating with divorce rates worryingly high. It is devastating to acknowledge the fact that marriage that is blessed with the best reception has to be separated. Statistics have proven that a number of marriages and relationships are at the point of crumbling. Other couples are also enduring the marriage relationship instead of enjoying it. One of the reasons could be couples rushing to have a marriage blessed, perceiving infatuation to be true love. What then is infatuation and true love?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines infatuation as having a very strong but not usually lasting feeling of love or attraction for someone or something. True love on the other hand is a perfect romantic love between people.

Infatuation about partners require no thoughtfulness since there is quick attraction; perceiving things will work perfectly based on physical appearance. True love is seeing into a person’s character and identifying strengths and weaknesses. Partners who exhibits true love in their relationship cares for each other during good and bad days.

 Most people are of the view that falling in love occur abruptly and intensely. While infatuation hits hard in a fast and swift manner, true love grows. I must emphasize that it is difficult to know the real person for you after dating for a short time. In early relationships, some partners put on the best behavior as they closely guide unpleasant traits. During courtship, most couples hide their negative traits, personalities and temperaments. This accounts why some couples confess they married the wrong person when the unexpected happens. Because of this, it is important to exercise restrain for some time, studying each other under varied circumstances during courtship.

 While infatuation relies on physical appearance such as beauty, colour, structure and well looking parts of the body like the breast or bear, true love depends on compatibility. Depending on physical appearance in making a choice for a life partner could be disastrous. Also, while infatuation depends on physical and sexual attraction, true love focuses on character, personality, emotions, ideas and attitudes. I will reiterate that compatibility in personality will help in developing a lasting relationship. A person who is involved in infatuation may be in ‘love’ with more than one person at a time.

 As infatuation produces insecurity among partners, true love produces security. Couples who are in true love feels the sense of security and trust. Those who suffer infatuation always struggle with feelings of insecurity and may control the other partner through resentment.

 True love controls feelings and emotions while infatuation exploits it. Partners who exhibits true love always hold on in their check of expressing physical affection. This is because both couples respect each other. As a result, they hold onto their desire for sexual intimacy. When partners experiences strong sexual attraction, they think they are in love but in reality, it may be infatuation.

 Infatuation is selfish as love is selfless. Being in love goes beyond mere expression of emotions. The test of love comes in when either couple continues to love when either partner has treated the other unfairly. In real terms, infatuation is self-centered as there is exploration of what the relation will do to the other. In this case, there is feeling of pride.

True love ends slowly, infatuation ends rapidly. As true love takes time to develop, feelings in infatuation vanishes abruptly. Infatuations end the same way as they begin. It happens very fast with one exception. In infatuation, sex complicates the emotional responses. A couple may stay together not because of true love but of mutually satisfying sexual curiosities.

In conclusion, it behooves on prospective couples to avoid infatuation but rather depend on God through personal prayer when making decision for a life partner.


Article by Elder Samuel Danso

The Church of Pentecost

Suhum Area


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maximizing Opportunities

-
Image
When you have a big pond, you would automatically desire a big fish. Similarly, when you have a big opportunity, there is no doubt that you would also need a big idea to fashion it out to sustain it. People, throughout history, have expanded their horizon through courageous and creative endeavours, and stepped on the rungs of opportunities.  David saw an opportunity in Goliath to redeem Israel from blasphemy, threats and also portray the omnipotence of God. From the adages; “Opportunity knocks but once,” and “Opportunity lost can never be regained,” one needs to determine the future by holding on to available opportunities. The secret of success is to be ready when opportunity knocks at the door. The highway of life is flecked or dotted with opportunities, and all you need is to be sensitive in order to enfold them.  The Macmillan English Dictionary defines opportunity as “a chance to do something, or a situation in which it is easy for you to do something.” This...
Read more

Marital Conflicts: Causes and Resolution

-
Image
Marriage, an institution ordained by God is an intimate union and equal partnership between a man and a woman who derives affection from each other. The definition of marriage varies around the world not only between cultures and religions, but also throughout the history of any given culture and religion where interpersonal relationship exist. Marital conflict among couples is inevitable with divorce, a common experience in our culture. In actual fact, conflicts between married people are not necessarily destructive since they provide valuable clues that show the growing edges of the relationship and the areas that need to be worked on in making it richer and deeper. Conflict, an inevitable fact of life, refers to the opposing ideas and actions of different entities which results in an antagonistic state or the disagreement between people due to perceive incompatible goals. As couples progress deeper into their relationships, it is inevitable that opinions, feelings and wants ...
Read more