Coffee and Calendars

The enemy of your soul and your marriage will whisper this in your ear...:  "You don't have enough."  He will work to convince you that you simply do not have what you need to face the realities of your differences with hope and courage.  He will tempt you to give in and give up.  He will tempt you to run and hide.  He will tempt you to give way to things that you have the power to resist.  He will work to make you feel poor and weak.  And if he can get you to minimize your sin and doubt God's provision, he's got you.  ~Paul Tripp, "What Did You Expect?"

Nowhere are our differences made more visible than when it comes to our weekly "coffee and calendars".  Most weeks we stay at home and make a fresh press of coffee, some weeks we get all fancy and head to a local coffee shop.  When we're planning, Aaron (INTP) is Mr. Flexible and can roll with whatever God throws his way.  On the other hand, I (ESFJ) like to know what to expect and find it hard to step outside of my comfort zone.

We've found this personality website incredibly helpful:

...no one is more enthusiastic and capable of spotting a problem, drilling through the endless factors and details that encompass the issue and developing a unique and viable solution than INTPs.... People who share the INTP personality type aren’t interested in practical, day-to-day activities and maintenance.

ESFJs are excellent managers of day-to-day tasks and routine maintenance, enjoying making sure that those who are close to them are well cared for....Valuing stability and security very highly, ESFJs are eager to preserve the status quo.

So it's a good thing when we can remind each other that together we fill in each other's weaknesses.  And it's an even better thing when we can remind each other that God gives us what we "need to face the realities of [our] differences with hope and courage".