Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NIV)
It is said, “Opposites attract,” and that certainly proves true for my husband and I. We are very different in many ways, but one of the most obvious is how we make decisions. I come to conclusions quickly. Give me the information that is available at the time, and I rapidly sort through it and reach a verdict. No need to think it through. No waiting necessary. Notice I did not say I can always make the right decisions. Sometimes, my off the cuff thinking gets me in trouble. My husband weighs each angle carefully. He takes time before assessing how to proceed. Even when he thinks he knows what is best, he will wait a little longer to see if more information becomes available. You can only imagine the strain two such different approaches make on our marriage! Yet, over time, we learned to lean on each others strengths. I developed patience knowing that if I give him space, he will eventually make a good choice. Often, he can come up with several creative alternatives to my one gut feeling. In turn, he knows that my instincts are usually good when it comes to relationships and feelings. Take a recent dilemma. Youngest son received his driver’s license over a week ago. He drove alone twice, but we still refused to let him drive himself to school. It is forty five minutes from our house. While we know that our gas bill will drop with only two trips to school instead of four each day and much time will be saved, we were not comfortable turning him loose in rush hour traffic until he proved he could go the speed limit! He managed to stay within the law for three days in a row and asked permission to drive alone to school. Add to the mix an upcoming college night. My child who has always vowed he would not go to college is changing his mind. He wanted to go to college night, but he did not want me to go with him. It seems I will embarrass him. Suspicious, I wonder if he is planning on hanging out with his friends at the beach instead. I see two decisions facing us, one about driving to school and one about whether mom will accompany him to college night. I was ready to take action. No, he could not drive to school and yes, no matter what he wanted, he would be escorted to college night. My husband asked for time to think. My son and I know better than to push him for an answer so we waited. Finally, by the end of the night, my husband combined the two choices and offered this deal. Son could drive to school, but mom would go along to college night. Perfect. Why didn’t I think of that? I am glad that God put us together. We make a good team. When I am willing to listen and wait, that is.
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