Understanding Our Differences

Over the past few days I’ve found myself dreaming about the nice, hot days of summer because this cold spell has not been any fun. I often hear from people that I should be used to cold weather because I grew up in the North, but my response is, “I will never get used to the cold.” I enjoyed the winter activities of building snow men, having snowball fights, making snow angels, building tunnels in the snow, and playing football in it when I was younger, but as I grew older my body changed. I got to the point of despising those cold days when I could never get warm. I know that God made all of us unique and there are those who prefer the cold days of winter over the hot days of summer. Part of the joy of life is that we are all so different.

Tami and I will be celebrating our 32nd anniversary this year and we have both had a lot of growing up to do through the years. We have had those moments of driving each other crazy, wondering why in the world God brought us together. But we’ve had many more moments of enjoying the life that God has blessed us with. Marriage is not easy because you are bringing two individuals together that have different wants and needs. For me, marriage is learning that it’s not about me but what is best for Tami and how I help her become what God wants her to be in life. Tami has a lot of drive and is a wonderful mom and Mimi. She is successful in the business world at the company she works for, even with all the stresses that her job brings into her life. She’s an amazing wife who is constantly stepping up to help me look better with my wardrobe and in my ministry. And, most importantly, she is a woman who has a passion for God.

As a husband, I try to bring into Tami’s life everything she needs to feel complete. There are days when I’m not very good at deciphering what she needs, but eventually I figure it out. What I do know is that I’m not perfect and neither is Tami, but we are committed to each other. We’ve grown and gotten better at reading each other, but we still have those days. The most important thing we can do to grow our relationship together is to remain close to God and His plan for our lives. If I’m fulfilling God’s plan for my life, then I’m showing Tami how important she is to me by being there for her and helping her when times get tough. Our society is trying to destroy the family by changing the values that the Bible commands us to live by. Don’t allow that to hinder the plan God has for you and your spouse. Instead, be committed, go “all in,” draw a line in the sand, do whatever it takes to show that you’re in your marriage for the rest of your life. We deal with enough stresses in life, so let’s not bring on another stress by creating doubt about our commitment to our marriage. Life is about relationships, and everything we are looking at deals with relationships.