I've been reading 'Waiting and Dating' by Myles Munroe and here are a few lessons/highlights from the second chapter which is titled 'Friendship Building: The Purpose of Dating'.
One
Building a best-friend status is the primary purpose of dating.
Two
Friendship as a foundation guarantees success in any long-term relationship as opposed to any need or incompleteness.
Three
The nature and purpose of friendship is to build character.
Four
None of our encounters are accidental.
Five
Praying for a friend is the most important thing you can do for them
Six
The presence/absence of commitment is the main way to distinguish between levels of friendship.
Seven
Shared sorrow is halved while shared joy is doubled.
Eight
Being meek has a lot to do with having strength under control.
Nine
True friendship, like true love, always focuses on the other instead of self.
Ten
Help your friend identify and overcome hindrances to the achievement of their goals.
In conclusion...
As you can tell, having a good relationship does not start with having a good partner but a good friend. So be friends first and build up over time. All the best! :)
