Daly Focus Blog
Remember Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, David’s giant nemesis who challenged the entire Israelite army to a fight? He was nearly ten feet tall. His armor weighed 150 pounds, and his spear weighed nearly 30 pounds.
David was a shepherd boy. A teenager. Yet when he heard Goliath’s taunts, he didn’t run and hide in fear. He said, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” Then he stared Goliath down and trusted God for victory.
By: Christy Cabe
I remember the somber voices singing at my mother’s funeral.
I sat beside my dad, near the front of the church, as the crowd behind us led and echoed the chorus of the hymn “It Is Well.”
It Is Well
It Is Well
With My Soul
With My Soul
And though I was a child, a fifth-grade girl sitting in shock and grief near her mother’s casket, I understood.
Deep down, I knew it was true.
Our hearts break for the thousands of lives lost to COVID-19 and the millions of Americans currently out of work in the wake of the pandemic.
The virus has touched every life – and upended many long held plans.
I heard that some are calling students graduating high school and college this spring, members of the “Disappearing Class of 2020.”
Isn’t that sad?
One day they were all together, taking classes, playing games – looking forward to traditional end of year activities like the prom and special award ceremonies.
Fear over the
coronavirus continues to grip people. I have a family member who calls my wife
every few days expressing her uncertainty about where our country goes from
here and how we protect ourselves. Her concerns are not unreasonable, but it’s
clear that her questions are driven by fear and anxiety.
Fear is
contagious, and children are especially susceptible. So are Christian moms and
dads who wish to instill their children with faith.
What can
you do?
The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent quarantines and lockdown orders have posed substantial challenges for everyone – especially not being permitted to worship together in person with fellow believers.
But according to a recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, the pandemic has actually caused faith to grow.
Imagine that – God using a tough time for good!
The poll found that almost one-quarter (24%) of U.S. adults say their faith has become stronger because of the coronavirus pandemic.
When was
the last time you and your spouse enjoyed a date night? Has it been a while?
I get it.
You’re busy. You’re tired. Once your children came along, your priorities shifted,
your schedule became less flexible, and your budget got a lot tighter. Before
you knew it, time together as a couple flew right out the window.
Finding
time for each other doesn’t get any easier as your children get older. You have
to schedule an evening, hire a babysitter, and find something interesting to
do.
Six months
ago, none of us has could have imagined what American families would be going
through right now because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thousands
continue to get sick and die. Millions are out of work, and our nation is still
only in the very beginning stages of re-opening. There’s plenty to fear.
Or is
there?
What do
passages like Philippians
4:6-7 mean? It says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known
to God.
I suspect few parents see the Bible as a parenting manual,
but its pages are nevertheless brimming with good and practical counsel – made
even more incredible given the book’s age.
From warning fathers to not exasperate their children
(Ephesians 6:4) to encouraging discipline in the inevitable event of unruly
children (Hebrews 12:11, Proverbs 29:17), the Scriptures have answers to the
challenges that moms and dads are facing.
Sometimes, though, the advice shows up in seemingly unlikely
places.
Hopefully,
the silver lining for you around the coronavirus pandemic has been the
opportunity to spend more time together as a couple.
Then
again, maybe being around each other 24/7 has increased your disagreements and created
new topics to argue about.
There’s no
doubt that living in close quarters for a long time can reveal areas of your
marriage that could use some work. But it also creates an opportunity to put Luke
10:27 into practice.
I’m happy
to say that Focus on the Family has been ahead of the technology curve, which
has allowed most of our staff to work from home and continue to minister to
families. But just like you, our staff has had to navigate the uncertain waters
of balancing work and home.
That’s why
we invited popular guest Arlene Pellicane to join us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Balancing Work and Family Life While Staying
at Home.” She’s got some
great ideas for dealing with what she calls a “blurred environment.” The
boundaries between work and family blur, which makes it harder to keep all the
plates spinning – to be a good spouse, a good parent, perhaps even a good son
or daughter to elderly parents.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
