Paul's reaction to the controversy in 1 Corinthians 3 gives us some insight into his feelings about his fellow missionaries. To him, they were teammates, using their individual skills to achieve the same goal he was striving for: establishing the church. Teamwork was crucial to the health of the church. It's also vital to the health of a relationship.

Because we're all individuals, our thoughts, feelings, and desires will be different from one another's. However, with our individuality comes a deep need for intimacy. Marriage is designed to meet that need. A husband and wife come together with their differences to form a team where each will use his or her strengths to help the other, and together they will use their abilities to make the world a better place.

Conflicts give us opportunities to demonstrate our love, respect, and admiration for each other. When we accept conflicts as a normal part of martial team dynamics, we will create time to listen to each other. Together we will find solutions that allow us to work together as a team, supporting each other rather than allowing our differences to divide us.

Take time to pray and ask God to help you:

Understand your role on your "team";

Complement your loved one's role on your team;

Improve your team communication.

Reflect to become stronger:

In what ways do you function as a team? Spouse, parent, team player?

In what area is your team most in need of improvement?

How can you demonstrate love to your loved one when you have a conflict?

Consider these passages on teamwork:

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens another.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two are better than one
    because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
¹¹ Also, if two lies down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Romans 15:5

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.

Thoughts of Gary Chapman and made me realize how much more I need to work on sharpening my team. When you personally work on yourself, your team gets stronger.