Relationship Issues

Not everyone likes surprises. Some people relish the thought of being on the receiving end of a huge surprise party, while others live in near-mortal terror of their loved ones launching a surprise celebration of whatever sort. People are wired differently, so it’s not surprising that there would be different tastes in this regard as well. Of course, surprises come in all shapes and sizes, and people respond to those differently, too. One type of surprise would be if your spouse discovered they were pregnant after a long time of you trying for a baby. Another would be if you won a trip to an exotic location when you’d forgotten you even entered. Another kind of surprise is when you discover that the relationship you’re in is more serious and committed than you thought. What’s A ‘Serious’ Relationship? Romantic relationships run the gamut from casual hookups that people make online or in person, to lifelong exclusive commitments they make to one another before God and witnesses. Each person will likely describe a ‘serious’ relationship differently. For the person who’s not looking for anything long-term, exclusive, or committed, ‘serious’ means taking a step toward those things. One way to define a ‘serious’ romantic relationship is to say it is a relationship in which the dynamic has moved or is moving toward deeper presence in each other’s lives, exclusivity, and it is likely heading toward a deeper commitment toward one another such as marriage. Such a relationship is bringing the lives of two people closer together, they are growing in knowing each other better, and their connection is leading them to want to be present in each other’s lives more and more. How Do Serious Relationships Happen? If you find yourself in a relationship that you can term ‘serious’, there are [...]