Daly Focus Blog
Some people over fifty see the aging process as the glass being half empty.
Some see it as half full.
Then there’s the comedian I once heard who saw the glass as twice as big as it needed to be.
Stuart and Jill Briscoe use the glass analogy as a way to describe what they call their “realistic view of aging.” The top half is completely empty, and the bottom half is completely full.
Aging is an undeniable fact of life.
Disrespect is a common problem between kids and their parents today.
It’s hard to deal with someone who refuses to consider other people’s opinions, who interrupts when someone else is talking, or who never apologizes for their own mistakes.
Sounds like I’m talking about teenagers, doesn’t it? Well, I’m actually referring to the way some parents behave.
Spewing anger or yelling careless words to control a child will get compliance – at least for that moment.
“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother, be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”
That verse is Genesis 2:24. It’s usually referred to in the context of marriage. But Pastor Ted Cunningham pointed out to me that it actually begins as an observation about parenting.
It declares that a man will leave his father and mother. The verse assumes that our children will leave home as an adult, not as a child who must then set out on a journey to become a grownup on their own.
A church in England has created a wonderful video, “This Is About That,” that illustrates some of the ways marriage reflects the gospel – and it’s definitely worth watching. Take a look:
I hope the truths expressed in this video help inspire you in your walk with Jesus, and in the ways you work to honor marriage in your life and community.
Joni Eareckson Tada says that suffering is “like a little splash-over of hell.”
Few people can talk about the intensity of suffering with more authority than Joni. A tragic accident fifty years ago left her a quadriplegic, requiring 24-hour care. She’s also survived a stage-3 breast cancer diagnosis, the removal of a 3-inch tumor, and months of chemotherapy that followed.
So when she talks about how to handle suffering in a way that enriches our lives and glorifies God, we all do well to listen.
The measures we parents take to protect our kids can be humorous at times. We teach them to ride their bikes with helmets, knee and elbow pads, and thickly padded gloves – every safety accessory short of bubble wrap. We fill our electrical sockets with plastic covers, erect gates in front of our staircases, and childproof our kitchen cabinets. Some parents even install video monitors to watch over their child’s every move.
Somewhere along the way, legitimate safety concerns have morphed into complete inoculation against every bump and scraped knee.
One million. It’s a big number. But on today of all days, that number takes on even greater value and significance.
That’s because today is Memorial Day, the day we remember over one million Americans who have died in war on behalf of us all.
That figure is astounding by itself. But it’s even more sobering when you reflect on this: behind every number is a name, and behind every name is a family whose entire world changed forever because that soldier didn’t come home.
What are you afraid of?
A lot of us were scared of the dark when we were little. There’s something about the lights going out that transforms ordinary shadows into dreadful monsters.
Years later, we still have our monsters, don’t we? Relational problems. Health crises. Significant life changes that are beyond our control. They’re more sophisticated than the creepy things we feared hid under our bed as children, but they haunt us just the same.
Back when you were a kid, you probably hid from your fears by pulling the blankets a little tighter.
The Eighth Commandment seems clear enough:
“You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
It should go without saying, but in the world’s terms, adultery is when voluntary intercourse occurs between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse.
Straightforward enough, right? Well, the team here at Focus regularly fields questions such as:
“My spouse sent a romantic text message to another person, is that cheating?”
“Does an emotional affair really count as adultery?”
Beyond mere curiosity, these are actual real-life situations.
Most people enter marriage with high expectations. They dream of long walks through the neighborhood every night and long walks along the beach in the summer. Every day will be romantic and exciting.
But somewhere between “I do” and “happily ever after” daily life settles into a predictable routine. And by “predictable” I mean “mundane” – dare I even say “boring.” Before long, discontentment kicks in, and we’re living in what I call the “when’s” and “if only’s” of life.
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.
