Co-dependence is dangerous because it seems like a good thing.
What it is. You rely on the person whom you are dating for everything. This person gives you a sense of worth. This person is the reason for waking up.
Where you see it. Some high school relationships begin fine and then after a couple of months the two fall into co-dependence. You know it when you see it because the couple tends to leave behind their friends and family.
Why people accept co-dependence. Co-dependence is very deceptive because it pretends to be a mature relationship that it is not.
Why co-dependence is the counterfeit of love. Let’s get this straight. In a healthy Catholic marriage, two people depend on one another, they inspire one another, and they live for one another. Yet in the middle of that they are able to maintain a healthy sense of independence. This is a good thing! But this kind of relationship can only happen with a life-time commitment to one another.
Choosing to date someone and then forgetting about your friends and family is unhealthy. You need those other people to be a part of your life so that you can make balanced decisions about this new relationship.
But ultimately, the real problem is that another person should never be your source of life. That person will not always be there for you. That person cannot save you. That person did not die for you. That person is not God. The only person you should be dependent upon is Jesus Christ.
“LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, my saving horn, my stronghold!” ~Psalm 18: 3
<< Yesterday: Part III Obsession | Tomorrow: Part V Abuse and Manipulation >>
One Trackback
Seems like a good thing, right? http://fb.me/SSAXTVm3