Opposites Attract

Everyone has heard the phrase "Opposites Attract". I may not have really believed it until I fell in love with Jonathan. We are almost as opposite as two people get. Before we got married I noticed it. But I notice it even more now that we are married.

Since Jonathan is pursuing a Linguisitcs Degree at Southeastern (he is wanting to do Bible translation in the future) it has kind of changed our atmosphere around the house. Here are just a couple of examples:

1. One morning recently I was standing in the bathroom brushing my teeth. It was first thing in the morning. My brain doesn't operate then. Nor do I like to communicate with others. Jonathan comes in with a smile on his face. As if he has just discovered something amazing. He starts asking, "Have you ever thought about the letter 'C' before? We don't really need it. It makes the same sound as the letter 'K' and the letter 'S' but it doesn't make it's own sound. It's useless." Of course I couldn't respond because I was brushing my teeth. But I couldn't really come up with a response anyways. Because my brain doesn't even operate like this. Pondering things like the sounds that letters make. It really never comes into play in my daily routine.

2. This scenario has happened multiple times lately where I am standing in another room. I can hear Jonathan murmuring to himself. The first time this happened I was a little concerned, "Has my husband starting talking to himself?" That's never a good sign. So I walk into the other room, "What are you doing?" I ask. He replies, "I'm practicing the phonetic alphabet for class". Ok then, I now have a husband who murmurs to himself. haha.

3. Yesterday we are sitting on the couch. I tell Jonathan that I like the new Pepsi Max because it actually tastes more like the real product than most diet drinks. Jonathan's response? "Have you ever thought about why Coke is more popular world wide than Pepsi?" "Not really" is my response. He says,"Well, because not many other languages have that 'P' 'S' sound. It's hard for them to make. But coke is easier for everyone to say. Because most every language has that sound".

And these, are just a couple from a long list of examples I could give. These examples not only show the kinds of conversations we will have for the next 70 years. But they also show just how different we are.

Since I met Jonathan I have definitely been able to see clearly that God is calling him to bible translation. He is amazing at picking up other languages, studying the bible, etc... All the things it takes to be geared towards bible translation, Jonathan possesses those traits. I can even see this in the things that fascinate him. Which, by the way, are most of the time opposite of the things that fascinate me. He has always been interested in things that I look at and go,"What in the world?". But then I think again and I am like,"That's exactly why he is going to be good at translating the Bible".

This comes into play in more than just our conversations. For instance, when we were on our honeymoon in Europe, the kinds of things he cared about were NOT the same thing as me. He was always concerned with taking a picture of something and it being in the EXACT middle of the picture. He also wanted me to see things for the first time looking at it dead center. I could've cared less if I was looking at something centered or uncentered. He cared about how a building was designed. I just liked it cause it was pretty. He wanted to climb every building in the city to see the different "views" of the city. Then he wanted to decide which one was best. I thought if you'd seen one view you'd pretty much seen 'em all. haha.

So, how do we get by when everything I talk about doesn't interest him and vice versa? I gotta be honest. At times I have no clue how our relationship works out.

But, then I am reminded of all the reasons he completes me and makes me more balanced of a person. Here are just a few examples:

1. Jonathan rarely gets stressed out. Even when big things happen in life. Somehow he remains pretty unphased. Me, on the other hand, I kind of stress out and worry too much. ANd that really isn't on his radar screen.

So we balance one another out. At times he should be a little more concerned about a situation than he is. And I remind him of that. And at other times I just simply need to calm down. And he reminds me of that.

2. Jonathan is (overall) an insensitive person. And I am incredibly sensitive.

It's good that when we are faced with a conversation where someone needs a person to empathize, I can step up in his place and be sympathetic. Because that usually isn't an easy thing for him to do. And, honestly, sometimes I can be overly sensitive. And I need him to remind me that I'm acting like an emotional basket case.

3. Jonathan likes to just go for things. I like to sit around and analyze them forever and finally make a decision.

We both need one another. Sometimes I need to be reminded that I have thought it through pretty thoroughly and I need to act on the wisest option. Sometimes he needs to be reminded to sit back and think about a situation more.

4. Jonathan is pretty even kill. I am moody.

5. Jonathan is task oriented. I am more relational.

I suppose this is really a guy/girl thing. But, I think it's good that we can balance one another out in this way. We are both going to need each other when it comes to ministry in this way. Both are very important to remember.

It's funny to look at these differences (and I could've listed more). But these examples always remind me of why it's good that we have one another. Opposites really do attract. And most of the time it's a really good thing. I know it is for us.