You know what they say: Opposites attract! And as a woman of God, that’s just what happened to me when I met my four-footed, long-nosed husband. It isn’t always easy, but despite our differences (I’m a Christian and he’s an aardvark), we somehow manage to make it work.
It isn’t easy reconciling our different tastes and beliefs since we come from such wildly different backgrounds (Toledo vs. sub-Saharan Africa). My Christian ancestors came over through Ellis Island. My husband’s family was brought to the Cincinnati zoo back in the 1800s.
I was raised in the belief of Jesus Christ as my savior and I have no plans to change that. My husband eats almost exclusively ants and termites, every single day, no matter what else I cook up. Sometimes we just have to shrug our shoulders and laugh at each other’s little quirks.
When we announced our engagement, both families were skeptical. “He’s going to Hell!” shrieked my conservative, God-fearing mother. “How will she give us baby aardvark grandchildren?!” yelled my mother-in-law. Luckily we thought this through in advance and explained that we had each other’s backs through thick and thin (and maybe someday, adoption of an aardvark baby that we’ll raise Christian – life is all about compromise!).
There are still some daily headaches, such as sharing a bed. Sometimes my husband will complain about me keeping the light on a few extra minutes while I say my prayers. Sometimes I’ll tell him to stop scratching me in my sleep with his claws and eating termites in bed. But we get through it with a lot of faith and a lot of outdoor time.
And honestly, having each other can be handy. Whenever my husband is facing challenges, I’ll call together my prayer circle and we’ll pray for him. Or when there’s a deadly, poisonous spider in the house, my husband kills it, since he is immune to its bites via his tough aardvark skin and actually kind of enjoys it.
We’re really very happy. I’ve grown used to his soft grunting sounds as he lets himself out the doggie door to forage for his morning meal. He no longer rolls his eyes when I pull out my Bible.
Most people look at us and see an aardvark and a Christian woman. But to me, we are just two people in love, in spite of all our differences (even if he isn’t technically a person). The Lord really does provide!
