A few days ago I saw an interview by the fixer-upper couple Chip and Joanna Gains, and it struck a chord with me in several ways. When I listened to him describe his wife, and when I listened to her describe herself, I was sitting there thinking that they were describing so many aspects of me: "good" kid, obedient rule follower, organized, (to a degree), and predictable. Then they began describing him. He described himself, and she described him, and those descriptions reminded me so much of Peter: as close to the edge of the line as possible, risk taking, unpredictable, free, and even a bit wild; even their example of the way he lets the gas in the car get as low as possible before filling up is true of Pete and I. My dad never let the gas get below half of a tank, and so when I married Peter, I had to get used to getting into the car with the tank on or below empty on a pretty regular basis! What I enjoyed most about this particular interview was how they wove their differences into something unified, and how they each saw aspects of God in each other's gifts. This is what God seeks to do in marriage and in relationships in general! He wants us to see more of what He looks like. I have loved life with Peter for so many reasons, but I think one of the things I like best is his wild and free side. He is not encumbered by man's approval. There is an aspect of God that is this way, too. I like to think of God as like Aslan, in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe: dangerous and not safe, but so full of love!
Maybe it's because I have so many sons, or because I have enjoyed life more fully since I started sharing life with my wilder half, but there is this adventurous aspect of my man (and in my crazy boys) that I am more and more aware of and feel called to embrace and enjoy. It's made my life so much better!
The other day I was walking through the house noting just how much furniture Peter has made for us.
He will go dumpster diving, and ride home on his bicycle with a pallet on his back which he has then turned into furniture that adorns our home.
I would be worried about people's stares as I rode through town on my bike with a new pallet in tow, but for Peter, it's a grand adventure.
God created all of us with unique gifts, abilities, and personalities. I think that the more we can embrace that the more we can be unified to one another. I know for certain that God knew what I needed when He sent Pete my way.
