Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This weekend I took a glass fusing class at the Peoria Art Guild. It was such a blast to exercise creativity with other women. I also learned something about the science of glass fusing as it relates to marriage.
Glass makers test the compatibility of their raw products before the fusing process takes place. They rate the glass according to their COE, or Coefficient of Expansion. Different types of glass expand and contract at various rates under fire. If an artist pairs one piece of glass that changes with great speed at a high temperature with another piece of glass that demands a slower melding process, this will create stress cracks and may lead to the shattering of the piece after it cools.
I find the same holds true in marriage. There's bound to be a clash if one partner is required to change at a rapid pace while the other person is not. Compatibility can be a tricky concept when it's fleshed out. In pre-marital counseling, pastors encourage couples to test their compatibility concerning their faith, personality differences, family history, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, and educational differences. We're bound to feel differently about a variety of factors.
But I find that if two people have the same foundational values and focus on the same vision for their future, it's possible to circumvent any minor incompatibilities they'll have to learn to endure. Because when the hard times befall us and we're under fire, we'll have to cleave to those foundational principles of faith and living out our lives for the Lord, to fuse together and strengthen one another so we don't fall apart in the stress cracks.
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