When you love someone and you have their best interest at heart, you may be willing to sacrifice some of what you want in order to give your loved one what they want.
It’s common for spouses to make sacrifices for one another and parents to sacrifice for their children.
It’s important to learn the value of sacrifices even though they may not be pleasant.
Many experts feel that the willingness to set aside one’s own desires for the benefit of another is a good thing.
It shows true love and commitment when you can put your partner’s needs ahead of your own desires.
Your Attitude Toward Sacrifices
Some women feel they’ve made too many sacrifices for their partners.
They may have given up their dream to hold a certain job or put off going to school.
At first the sacrifice may have been for the partner’s benefit, but then came children.
The sacrifices continued until the dream they once had merely faded away.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Was the woman the only one who made sacrifices for the relationship and the family?
Is she using her choices as excuses for not pursuing dreams when she could’ve still done so?
How you view sacrifice is what matters!
You can see the sacrifices you make as a choice for what really matters, rather than something that you have to give up.
If you’re committed to your relationship, it’s possible you won’t even see your willingness to give something up for your partner’s benefit as a sacrifice at all!
Make Good Choices in Your Sacrifices
You want to be sure, however, that you make sacrifices for good reasons and that your partner also sacrifices for you.
Marriages and partnerships are supposed to be for the benefit of both partners. Therefore, sacrifices must go both ways.
It’s important that you never feel like you’re forced to make a sacrifice. It must be something that you do willingly, with no regrets.
In addition, your sacrifices should never compromise your morals or personal values.
These types of sacrifices will most certainly leave you with regret and feelings of guilt.
Unfortunately, the partner who would ask you to compromise your values may not the best partner for you.
Values such as these should never be compromised for someone else:
1. Honesty. If you feel you’re being asked to sacrifice honesty to help a loved one out, explain why this is a sacrifice you cannot make.
2. Loyalty. Loyalty is part of who you are, deep on the inside, and giving that up would mean giving up a part of yourself.
Agreeing to do so would only sour the relationship further down the road.
3. Faithfulness. What do you do if you find out your partner has cheated?
If fidelity is a value you hold dear, it’s unlikely the relationship will survive.
It’s possible, however, to learn to forgive, but it may be more difficult to learn to trust again.
Any relationship you enter into is going to require some give and take by each partner.
Be willing to sacrifice, choose wisely in your sacrifices, and your relationship will thrive!
When was the last time you had to sacrifice something for your relationship?
How did it make your relationship stronger?
Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!
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