I like my pizza with "junk". Junk means just about everything but the kitchen sink, oh and no anchovies and I'm not crazy about pepperoni. But green pepper, olives, mushrooms, onion, tomatoes, sausage, and add extra cheese and I am in pizza heaven. No extra charge for the gooey mess or the thick crust.
My husband, likes a pretty simple thin crust pizza - pepperoni OR sausage. On an adventurous day he'll do a Hawaiian style pizza with Canadian bacon and pineapple!! Oooohh, be still my heart, I don't think I can take the excitement!
Needless to say, we are different in the area of pizza. As you can imagine from the vast difference in our pizza tastes, we are different in a lot of other areas, too! My man is strictly a meat and potatoes kinda guy. I love casseroles. He likes neat and tidy. I am okay with a mess. He likes the air chilly. For me the warmer the better. He drinks Diet Pepsi - just Diet Pepsi - really, just Diet Pepsi. No coffee, no tea, no water, no juice unless he needs to or is getting breakfast at McDonalds. Just Diet Pepsi. I drink coffee, hot or cold. Tea, hot or cold. Dr. Pepper, Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, water, flavored and plain - all sorts of drinks.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, but do you see how different we are? AND YET....we have been married for 43 years. Why? I'll tell you why in just 3 simple words.
Compromise. Respect. Commitment.
For a marriage to work, you have to be willing to compromise. Not everything can be your way. It just can't and it shouldn't be. As a young child one of the first things learned is to share and take turns. That doesn't change when you become an adult. It is necessary in childhood relationships and it is just as necessary in adult relationships, maybe even more so.
For a marriage to work you must respect each other. Remember that old Golden Rule? Treat your spouse as you would like to be treated. Respect each other as human beings made in the image of God. Speak with respectful words. Be respectful in your actions.
Lastly, for a marriage to work there must be commitment. Commitment to the marriage. Commitment to your partner. Commitment to compromise. Commitment to respect.
I think marriages are a lot like "junk" pizza. They are topped with all sorts of stuff - all sorts of human differences, all sorts of things that happen. They can be a gooey mess, because that's how life and relationships can be. But if you remember to compromise, be respectful and honor the commitment you made, marriage can really be pretty simple with a little adventure thrown in now and again!
How would you like your pizza?
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