Is Sacrifices Necessary In Relationships?

Ask anyone who's been in a relationship for any length of time and they're likely to tell you that adjustments and sacrifices are part and parcel of any relationship. Not just in a marriage or a long term relationship with your lover, but even with your parents, siblings or with friends - sacrifices are unavoidable. But are such sacrifices really important to a relationship? Do bonds become stronger with adjustments and sacrifices?

People with a modern outlook towards relationships feel that one should not have to make sacrifices to keep any relationship going. If the other person loves you, they should not demand sacrifices from you, nor should they expect it. Someone who expects you to give up things that you love, or change the way you are doesn't truly love you.

An experience person says that Sacrifices and adjustments can have a very positive impact on a relationship. Not just big adjustments such as leaving your job to be at home with the kids; but even smaller sacrifices such as doing your partner's chores or agreeing to your partner's choice of restaurant can help to strengthen and improve a relationship.

But here's the key - whatever big or small adjustments or sacrifices you make should not be out of obligation or compulsion but should be because you love your partner (or mother, friend, sister) and because you are genuinely interested in keeping the relationship strong.

Any adjustment or sacrifice that arises out of a concern for your partner or for the relationship constitutes as pro-relationship behavior. People who indulge in such behavior out of their free will are much happier in their relationships than those people who do make sacrifices but make them because they are pressured or feel compelled to adjust.

Not just the person making the adjustments, but even their partners will be much happier in the relationship if they can sense that the sacrifices are born out of love and concern. If someone feels that their partner is making adjustments due to obligation and not because they really want to, then such sacrifices cannot make any relationship stronger.

Thus, what motivates a person to make sacrifices in the relationship is the main question.

Well, the reason why relationships can seem rosy on the outside but are not very satisfying is because the people involved are making adjustments due to obligation. A wife or a husband who feels compelled to adjust all the time generally feels a lot of resentment for even the smallest of sacrifices. The relationship seems ok because the adjustments are being made. But over time, the resentment festers and finally the cracks start showing in the relationship.

Thus, it is very important to know what motivates you to adjust. If you feel even the slightest bit of unhappiness making sacrifices, it is best not to keep making them but talk to your partner about your feelings.

There is no doubt that adjustments and sacrifices can go a long way towards strengthening any relationship provided you adjust for the right reasons - namely love!