Our entire lives appear to be built on relationships, including relationships with our marriage partners, our children, those we work with, and the many, many people we interact with on a daily basis. Obviously, if we don't do well in our relationships, our lives can end up being pretty miserable.

Let's take a look at our relationship with the first person we see in the morning, our significant other. This relationship is so very important because our daily sense of well being depends on it.

Sometimes things happen between two people that can erupt into angry words and the exchange can become very emotional and tense. In times like these it is good to remember the words of the wise old sage, "A soft answer turns away wrath."

We don't have to react to anything anyone says. When we carry love in our heart, and are in control of our own emotions, we can respond from a quiet, loving place. This type of response can save a marriage as well as a very special friendship.

Mature love can be learned and attained by each of us. All we have to do is choose the way of love, and let go of the ways of fear and anger.

Love forgives. To grow to mature love, we have to be willing to forgive. If we invite Christ, i.e. unconditional love (without judgment), to reside within our heart, then we will be living in a constant state of forgiving others. The thought that we need to forgive a particular act becomes irrelevant because we will never have judged an act of someone as an act that has to be forgiven. It would be seen as an act of immaturity or weakness on the part of the other person, and can be looked at by us with compassion and tolerance.

God is unconditional love. When we live unconditional love without judgment, our whole life becomes miraculous. Then we will find ourselves walking in wonderful, warm, loving companionship with our heavenly Father. We will have attained mature love. We will have gained life eternal.