Key Bible Verse: You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you (Colossians 3:13). Bonus Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:11-12

My wife Jane has the keys to my heart. But she has a hard time locating the keys to other household things. I appreciate her priorities. Besides, missing keys usually turn up in time. But tension levels rise when lost keys don't appear on her timetable. Or mine.

Lost keys aren't life-threatening. In 27 years of marriage, we've lamented, laughed, and learned that missing keys are no big deal. We've both reframed the "key issue" as unplanned treasure hunts.

But in the early years, frustration and anger quickly surfaced whenever we were confronted by missing keys. She was frustrated because of her forgetfulness. I was angry because I seldom lose them. Why can't she be more like me? Because she's not me.

And Jane, in like manner, graciously overlooks most of my irksome ways. So, I've chosen to accept her habit of losing keys. It's a fair trade. We've learned to celebrate our differences instead of dwelling on them. After all, the keys to our hearts are in each other's hands. That's where we've promised to keep them. In a marriage partnership, acceptance and unconditional love are the most important keys. Each unlocks our heart's treasure.

—Cliff Denay Jr. in Michigan

My Response: A strength of my mate that compensates for a weakness of mine is …

Thought to Apply: You can bear your own faults, and why not a fault in your wife?—BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (statesman)

Prayer for the Week

Lord, You designed male and female to complement each other. Help me mesh with Your design.

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter    RSS Feed   RSS Help