There are four types of lovers who tend to cross our paths.

We might meet multiple lovers who fit into the same category. They might also switch from one category to another within years. However, it all boils down to one thing: timing.

When a relationship doesn’t work out, we usually point the finger at the other person (or possibly, at ourselves). However, the fact is that there’s no one to blame—there’s a time we need to simply trust.

Never before have I believed in the power of time the way I do now.

Looking back at my past, I’m grateful for every single person I’ve met. Whether they stayed in my life or left, they’re all metal rings that make up the chain of my life—and without one of those rings, the chain wouldn’t be complete. It was difficult for me to discern this in the past. The truth was overshadowed by my emotional suffering, and I missed the bigger picture.

It’s all about the timing.

Every person we encounter changes us in a way or another—and our lovers often compel the leading changes in our lives. Even if we can’t instantly see it, the reason manifests when we’re ready.

These are the four types of lovers we meet:

1. The right person at the wrong time. There’s both exquisiteness and agony in meeting the right person at the wrong time. It feels as if everything is too good to be true. The connection is undeniable, the union is intense and firm, and the person feels right for us. However, the timing is the only thing that’s not right. It’s as though the universe has handed us a nearly complete puzzle with just one missing piece.

We bang our heads against the wall trying to complete the puzzle. Sooner or later, we realize that the missing piece is not destined to be found. One of us might not be ready—or perhaps, the conditions are not in our favor. And even though we have to let this “right person” go, we also keep a piece of them with us.

That type of lover shows us what true love is, and they bring out the best in us. They lay the foundation for any other lover we meet in life. We keep on searching for them in other lovers, and though we can’t find them, we search for the same feeling they propelled in us.

2. The wrong person at the wrong time. The relationship we enter with the wrong person is usually toxic or destructive. What makes this union even more unhealthy is that time is against us. However, the principal changes that occur within us are thanks to the wrong lovers. While the right person can show us our good side, the wrong person can show us our dark side. They peel off our top layer, so we can discern our true colors.

Because this relationship is painful, our negative traits and repressed pain come to the surface. Meeting face to face with our dark side is imperative for our spiritual growth. Having said that, the wrong person coming at the wrong time shakes us up—and we’re never the same person after meeting them.

3. The wrong person at the right time. Oftentimes, we cross paths with the wrong person at the right time after crossing paths with the foregoing (although it’s not a rule). These lovers come into our life when we are ready, but time is against them, not against us. It feels like the universe still hasn’t found the missing piece we’re so impatient to find.

Meeting the wrong person at the right time is pivotal, because our relationship with them tests our readiness for the right person who will come at the right time. They remind us of the self-worth we have built throughout the years, and they strengthen our sense of confidence.

4. The right person at the right time. When the right person comes at the right time, we understand why it hasn’t worked out with any previous lover. The universe suddenly places the missing puzzle piece right in its place. Sometimes, the right person who came at the wrong time comes back at the right time—and oftentimes, they might be an entirely new person.

When we meet the right person at the right time, we gain a better understanding of timing. We realize that the universe doesn’t operate on our timeline. There’s an infinite intelligence that lies at the core of the universe, but we need to trust it if we want to tap into it.

If there’s one thing to learn from meeting the right person, it is that there’s a time for everything…but only if we’re patient.

~

Relephant:

If it Was the Right Person, It Wouldn’t be the Wrong Time.

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Author: Elyane Youssef
Image: Flickr/Gabriele Tummino; Flickr/羽諾 諾咪; Flickr/yong woo kenzi kim; Flickr/Matthew Kenwrick
Editor: Yoli Ramazzina
Copy editor: Nicole Cameron
Social editor: Callie Rushton