Healthy Practices Of Ministry CouplesНамуна

God is the Attraction
by Raul & Heather Palacios of Church by the Glades

Over the years, we have been a misunderstood couple, and we get that. There is nothing normal about us. Actually, I (Heather) am the one who is not normal. I am not sure exactly what triggered it, but when I was eight years old I wrote a suicide note and mailed it to my grandma. And thus my lifelong journey with mental affliction began.

This struggle I’ve faced has not been easy on me or my husband. But over the years, I have learned to thrive with it because of my faith in Christ, Christian counseling and psychiatry. But to be married to it, to me is an entirely different story. So how have we made it fourteen years? Unlike the old' adage, it's actually not opposites that attract that keeps us together. It's our one similarity. God.

You see, Heather and I (Raul) don't have the luxury of having a plethora of similarities. We don't have the same childhood experiences, same strengths or same weaknesses. We don't handle conflict the same. We don't always love each other with the same intensity. We don't lead the same and we don't follow the same. And as established earlier, we don’t have the same mental stability. So when all of these differences are challenged, we HAVE to have SOMETHING that holds us together. We would be a mess without God.

God is the attraction between us. We both love God and seek to do His will. Without our similar foundation in God, our differences would rip us apart. Circumstances can divide and humans can repel, but God attracts. So what will keep us under one roof for years to come? One God!

1. What are the similarities and differences that attracted you to your spouse? Share some ways that you can benefit from each other’s differences.