Wired Differently
“If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.”1 Corinthians 12:17–18 (KJV)
One spouse loves to dream: new ideas, big plans, what if we tried this. The other loves to finish: lists, steps, done. For years each feels frustrated by the other. Why won’t you just get it done? Why won’t you ever dream with me?
Many couples spend years resenting the very differences God put there on purpose. Paul’s picture of the church fits a marriage too. “If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.”
“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us.” Differing is the point. A home with two dreamers would never finish anything. A home with two finishers might never start.
Learn how your spouse is wired. Stop wishing they were like you, and start stewarding their strengths.
Read it yourself
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12–27. Which members does Paul say are necessary even though they seem weaker?
What difference in your spouse or a family member have you resented that might actually be a gift?
Lord, thank you for the different gifts in my home. Help me honour them instead of resenting them. Amen.