Sign up for our free newsletter:

 2 of 3

My friend Sharon and her husband, Phil, realized they lacked some shared couple fun, so they tried photography lessons. It never clicked. Then they tried golfing lessons but their interest waned. Convinced couple time was important, Sharon finally decided her husband's love of fishing was worth investigating. Now they're doubling their pleasure when she joins him on an occasional Saturday morning, helping him hook "the one that got away."

Rich is what I call "stoic." At times, his detached manner has frustrated me to no end. I typically react to circumstances based on feelings, while he depends on logic. I bring fun and enthusiasm into our relationship; he brings reason and practicality. But then I also excel at envisioning worst-case scenarios while Rich sometimes comes across as unemotional.

The reality is, our traits have upsides and downsides. But amazingly, most of the time we balance each other. Individually, we're each a little incomplete, but together, we comprise a good team, whether it's serving together in our church's annual food drive, entertaining in our home, or parenting our kids. In marriage, God combines two struggling, incomplete people, brings them into intimate community, and transforms them into a unit with the potential to accomplish so much more than they'd ever be able to do alone.

Right now we're going through a tough season that's bruised us—my husband's out of work, plus his brother's struggling with advanced lung cancer. That's why it's so healing to start and end each day in each other's arms. When circumstances drag us down, strip us of self-confidence, or pile on the stress, it's wonderful to know we have each other to lean on. I don't have to impress my husband, earn his love, or have all the answers to a problem for him to love, accept, and encourage me. There's great comfort in knowing that in marriage, we don't have to face hardships alone. If Rich is feeling battle-weary, I'm right there on the front lines with him, ready to buffer the blows for a while. And he'll do the same for me.

next page... |  2 of 3

				Try 3 Issues of Christianity Today Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

RSS Feed   RSS Help