When Christian musician Michael Card got married in 1982, he and Susan expected smooth sailing. But it wasn't long before they started running into selfishness and communication problems.

"I was shocked to realize there were some things we couldn't talk through," Susan tells Marriage Partnership magazine's Louise Ferrebee.

Their struggles intensified as Michael began to spend more time on the road, doing up to 150 concerts a year.

The Cards' pastor suggested they get some counseling before small problems turned into large ones. They say it took humility to admit they were as needy as everyone else. But through the counseling sessions, the Cards built some communication skills they use to this day.

"I still can get quiet and distant, hoping Susan will read my mind," Michael says. "After all, it's a lot easier to hope your spouse is a psychic than to work through how you feel about an issue and then present your feelings in a graceful, Christlike manner. A creeping separateness comes between Susan and me when we don't rely on God's tools to keep our marriage solid."