Celebrating the Differences in Your Marriage
It had been a busy week, and I was so excited going in to the weekend. I was going to rest, take my mind off my business for a couple of days, and just have fun.
And one way I planned to enjoy the weekend was by going out shopping!
Sadly, my husband does not share my love for shopping, and all he wanted to do was spend a quiet weekend at home.
Well, I don’t blame him. I’m an extrovert by nature, and he’s an introvert.
But I was still sulking about how my husband didn’t want to go out shopping with me, when I came across this article by Michael Hyatt.
One passage of Scripture that God brought to my attention through this article was:
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
I tried to ignore the nudging, but I had to admit God was trying to tell me something…
He had purposefully brought me and my husband together, knowing that our differences would enhance our lives.
What timely advice!
I have to admit, my husband and I are not alike. We have our differences.
I love to meet people and socialize — the one thing my husband tries to avoid.
I think and make decisions with my heart; he uses his head.
I can get a bit emotional at times; he is as stable as they come.
I can get overwhelmed with problems; he calmly finds solutions.
Yes, we did have our differences, but I also had a choice. I could choose to celebrate my husband’s differences, rather than finding fault with him. I could enjoy him for who God created him to be.
In this season, as I set up a new business, my husband’s differences are proving to be quite helpful to me. He’s a strong pillar of strength, and makes up for so many of my weaknesses.
It used to be a struggle, but I’m slowly beginning to recognize that God purposely made my husband and me different so we’d make a great team together.
Are you and your husband different from each other? Start looking at those differences from a different perspective. You each have a different set of strengths and weaknesses. You make up for what the other is lacking.
When you work together as a team, you can be likened to a double-edged sword. The struggles you face in life are nothing in the face of your united front.
Here are a few things you can do today to celebrate the differences in your husband.
1. Make a conscious decision to appreciate the ways he differs from you.
The next time you find yourself wishing your husband would be more like you, stop yourself. Turn your thoughts around and start thinking about how that particular trait in your husband works to your benefit.
2. Let him know you appreciate his differences.
Sometimes, we can get into a fault-finding mode, where we only see the areas where our husbands fall short. Take some time to tell him what you appreciate about him, and how grateful you are that he has that particular quality.
3. Thank God for your husband’s different traits.
It is God who brought you and your husband together for a purpose. Start thanking God for those little differences that would otherwise irk you.
Whenever you find yourself lamenting about how your husband is so different from you, make a purposeful decision to start celebrating those very same differences. It will bring about a shift in your perspective, and help you work together with your husband to be the power team that God created you to be.
Photo Credit: John Hope
School teacher turned internet marketing consultant, Sunu Philip is a Certified SEO Specialist. She founded “Clothed in Scarlet” to help women discover their unique God-given strengths and turn their talents into profits online. She is also the author of 31 Days to Start an Online Business eBook. She offers subscribers a Free Online Business Startup Kit to help them start their online business from scratch. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.