Do Opposites REALLY Attract?
The old adage "opposites attract" has always made me squirm. Up until recently I thought it bothered me because spouses have to have something in common in order to get married, right? And hopefully they have more than one something in common.
But recently I realized that perhaps that phrase peeves me so ardently because every single person is unique... in other words, all of us are inherently opposite in one way or another. So every couple that ever finds one another has at least one or more difference to work through in their relationship.
One of the all-time heroes of my life is a religious leader in my faith, Henry B. Eyring. He shares a story about his parents and their own differences. He also shares some insight into how the Holy Ghost, or the spiritual influence of God in our lives, can help us sort through those differences. He shares:
"It is only with the companionship of the Holy Ghost that we can hope to be equally yoked in a marriage free from discord. I have seen how that companionship is crucial for felicity in a marriage. The miracle of becoming one requires the help of heaven, and it takes time. Our goal is to live together forever in the presence of Heavenly Father and our Savior.
"My father and my mother were very different from each other. My mother was a singer and an artist. My father loved chemistry. Once at a symphony concert, my mother was surprised when my father stood up and began to leave before the applause began. My mother asked him where he was going. His response was, in all innocence: "Well, it's over, isn't it?" Only the gentle influence of the Holy Ghost got him there with her in the first place and brought him back to concerts time and time again."
Isn't that a tender story (and one that invokes some laughter)? I love how Elder Eyring pointed out the stark differences between his artist mother and scientist father, and then shared how they relied upon the Holy Ghost to peacefully figure each other out. For more of his beautiful words, take a look at the full article. For more info on my faith's beliefs on the Holy Ghost, take a look at this site.
How are you different from your spouse? Kevin already highlighted some of our blue/yellow contrasts last week. In addition to that, I love stereotypical health foods like feta cheese, hummus, and spinach. Kevin detests them. Kevin gets a hankering almost daily for hot dogs or ramen noodles (and you KNOW he loves him that Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce...). I make a point to avoid those foods if I can help it. Kevin's ideal date is one where we spend 10$ or less. My ideal date is a night out to a delectable restaurant and the theater. I love animals. Kevin is allergic to all the animals I love. I could continue...
We are different. Yet somehow we are crazy about each other.
I know for a fact that when we pray for God's help, we can have the patience and clearness of mind to talk about our differences in a compassionate way. We can find place in ourselves to really truly love the differences in our marital companions, and therein, love what's different and unique about ourselves, too.
One of the all-time heroes of my life is a religious leader in my faith, Henry B. Eyring. He shares a story about his parents and their own differences. He also shares some insight into how the Holy Ghost, or the spiritual influence of God in our lives, can help us sort through those differences. He shares:
"It is only with the companionship of the Holy Ghost that we can hope to be equally yoked in a marriage free from discord. I have seen how that companionship is crucial for felicity in a marriage. The miracle of becoming one requires the help of heaven, and it takes time. Our goal is to live together forever in the presence of Heavenly Father and our Savior.
"My father and my mother were very different from each other. My mother was a singer and an artist. My father loved chemistry. Once at a symphony concert, my mother was surprised when my father stood up and began to leave before the applause began. My mother asked him where he was going. His response was, in all innocence: "Well, it's over, isn't it?" Only the gentle influence of the Holy Ghost got him there with her in the first place and brought him back to concerts time and time again."
Isn't that a tender story (and one that invokes some laughter)? I love how Elder Eyring pointed out the stark differences between his artist mother and scientist father, and then shared how they relied upon the Holy Ghost to peacefully figure each other out. For more of his beautiful words, take a look at the full article. For more info on my faith's beliefs on the Holy Ghost, take a look at this site.
How are you different from your spouse? Kevin already highlighted some of our blue/yellow contrasts last week. In addition to that, I love stereotypical health foods like feta cheese, hummus, and spinach. Kevin detests them. Kevin gets a hankering almost daily for hot dogs or ramen noodles (and you KNOW he loves him that Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce...). I make a point to avoid those foods if I can help it. Kevin's ideal date is one where we spend 10$ or less. My ideal date is a night out to a delectable restaurant and the theater. I love animals. Kevin is allergic to all the animals I love. I could continue...
We are different. Yet somehow we are crazy about each other.
I know for a fact that when we pray for God's help, we can have the patience and clearness of mind to talk about our differences in a compassionate way. We can find place in ourselves to really truly love the differences in our marital companions, and therein, love what's different and unique about ourselves, too.
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