Daly Focus Blog
Genesis says that we were created perfect in the Garden of Eden. Revelation 22 describes the end of the age when God will create a new heaven and new earth, and our perfection will be restored.
There lies the rub: Between Eden and eternity, life is filled with disappointment, and we don’t always know how to handle it well. We push disappointment aside. We ignore it. We numb it. We bury it. We doubt God’s love for us.
Would you know how to answer these questions if a co-worker or a neighbor asked them?
Do all religions point to the same truth?If Christianity is the only true religion, why are there so many denominations?Why did Jesus die for our sins?
Would you know how to answer your children if they asked those questions? Answering in ways children can understand isn’t always easy.
You may feel like author Natasha Crain when she gave her four-year-old son his first swimming lesson.
The most popular word in the average parent’s vocabulary is “no.”
To be fair, it’s an important word for moms and dads. Used properly, it creates healthy boundaries for children.
But it’s easy to over-do our “no’s.” We can be too protective. Remember Dory, the fish with short-term memory loss from the animated hit movie Finding Nemo? She reminded Marlin, the dad of mis-adventurous Nemo, “You can’t never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him.”
If we build too many fences, we’re not allowing our kids to be kids or to grow.
Today’s guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “My Journey to Salvation” is Adolph Coors IV. In this presentation recorded at a prayer breakfast, Mr. Coors shares what it was like to grow up in the family that founded the Coors Brewing Company, one of the largest breweries in the world.
His story is a fascinating tale of wealth, privilege, and tragedy – and the lessons he learned along the way are thought-provoking.
A woman came up to author and speaker Deborah Pegues at a conference where she was speaking and said, “I lost my home after my husband died because I didn’t realize what a balloon payment was. When it came due, I didn’t have the money.”
Deborah has heard similar stories from more women than she can count. She’s a certified public account with an MBA in business finance and has written more than 20 books. She says the issue isn’t one of gender.
The holidays are over, and you’re probably running at high speed in a lot of directions.
The end of the workday doesn’t mean your work is over. Somebody has to pick up the kids from soccer practice and run to the store for groceries. After that, you still have to get home and make dinner, which can take a couple of hours once you cook, eat, and clean up the mess.
Who’s got time for that?
Racing wasn’t just a day job for NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip. I can tell you from experience, he was wired for it.
I played golf with him once, and he nearly took off in the golf cart without me. He wanted to beat the other members in our group to the next tee. He was literally zigging and zagging all along the cart path to keep them behind us … where they belonged, apparently. After Darrell won the short chase, he looked at me and said, “Life is a race to me.”
I love the adrenaline rush of a fast car, but I’m wired a lot differently than Darrell.
Theresa had a stroke 18 years ago. She lost control over her hands. Which means for all these years she’s struggled to do simple things in life, like styling her own hair. That’s why when she goes to the beauty salon, she leaves with a smile. She feels beautiful.
The trouble is, as soon as she washes her hair it falls flat, and she can’t get it to look the way her stylist does. Which means, until her next hair appointment comes around, Theresa doesn’t smile as much.
If God is good, why does He allow evil to exist?
Maybe your kids have asked you that to see how you answer. Have you ever asked your kids that question to see how they answer?
Or how about these?
Where did the universe come from?Do science and religion contradict each other?Do all religions worship the same God?How do we know God hears and answers prayer?
Natasha Crain didn’t know how to answer such important questions.
I know of a couple whose daughter disappeared from home in a fit of rebellion on her 18th birthday. Her parents were devastated. For years, they didn’t know if she was alive or dead.
Early on, her mother made a simple decision. Every night – all night – she would turn on the porch light. It was an unspoken message to her daughter: “You’re always welcome home.”
Many nights, tears streamed down that mother’s face as she locked the front door, switched on the light, and prayed for her daughter.
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.
