I read this article recently and thought I would post a portion of it for you to read...

While this is an obvious statement, it was a shocker for me to grasp: My spouse views life differently than I do. I always believed Larry saw life from my perspective. And since there was only one way of doing things, he should do them the right way—my way!

My viewpoint took a 180 degree turn, however, after a friend gave Larry and me a personality test. After we finished, we discovered our temperaments and learning styles are different.

My temperament, combined with my perfectionism, makes me want to over-analyze all the facts before making a decision. And then I constantly second-guess myself. Larry's temperament enables him to make fast decisions and feel confident about them. Before, I'd thought fast decision-making indicated he wasn't sensitive to my opinions.

The test stressed that different is different; it's not necessarily wrong. It didn't mean he was insensitive to my opinions. As I recognized that Larry and I view situations differently—and that's okay!—I became more patient, loving, and kind toward him. I have to remind myself that there are several ways to do something—not just my way. As someone once said, "Two plus two may equal four. But so does three plus one."

While sometimes it still frustrates me that he "can't get his act together," I rely on patience and grace. I ask myself, Is this because we define "act" differently? Are different motives energizing us? Then I take a look at my answers. Usually, I'm the one who's more rigid, so I stop taking his behavior personally, back off, and accept our differences.

Now that Larry and I have been married 35 years, we look back on that time 28 years ago when my perfectionism brought "great pains" into our relationship with gratitude for God's healing. By changing my viewpoint and giving grace and patience to myself and to my husband, I've learned to appreciate him. Now I express my love many times a day—and so does he. And yes, we even rejoice in our differences!

Kathy Collard Miller is author of Partly Cloudy with Scattered Worries (Bethany House). Visit Kathy at www.KathyCollardMiller.com.