Daly Focus Blog
Who we are often gets buried underneath a mountain of what we do.
There’s something much deeper to all of us that we’ll struggle to find until we get beneath the surface into the deeper question of “Who am I?” We were created for more than just working every day.
Ernie Johnson Jr. had that kind of an identity crisis. You’d never know it from the outside. He was an award-winning sportscaster for national television networks.
By now you’ve surely heard about Charlie Gard, the 11-month-old British baby boy. This little fellow is at the center of a controversial court struggle over who should make his medical decisions: his doctors, or his parents?
Charlie was born healthy to first-time parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates, but was soon diagnosed with mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS) – an inherited disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.
Charlie shares this condition with only 16 other people in the world.
When Kim Meeder was growing up, she adored her parents.
She thought her father was a superhero. He didn’t wear a cape, fly, or leap tall buildings, but there wasn’t much else he couldn’t do. Her mother was the most beautiful and loving woman in the world, and Kim wanted to grow up to be just like her.
But when she was just nine years old, Kim lost both of her parents in a horrific tragedy that shattered her heart and left her disillusioned with God.
When actor and comedian Patton Oswalt suddenly lost his wife, Michelle, in April 2016, he went public with his grief.
“She hasn’t left a void. She’s left a blast crater,” the heartbroken widower wrote in an open letter, where he also talked about the impact his wife’s death has had on their 7-year-old daughter, Alice.
And his public, palpable grief may be why some people have reacted with surprise – and even criticism – when news broke of Patton’s recent engagement last week.
Author Dannah Gresh says one of the most common fears mothers share with her is, “Am I messing up my kids?”
Her answer: Yes.
That may not seem like a very encouraging response, but if you’re struggling as a parent, you need peace. And to get peace, you need truth. And the truth is, every parent – myself included – is in the same boat.
We’re imperfect people raising imperfect people.
But if that’s true, how do moms learn to trust God with their parenting and with their children?
There’s a buzzword in pop culture that’s supposed to reveal the secret to a happy marriage.
“Chemistry.”
Successful relationships, we’re told, ultimately boil down to two people sharing common interests.
Obviously, the more points of agreement between a husband and wife, the better. But in God’s economy, the secret to a thriving marriage isn’t in a couple’s similarities, but in how they handle their differences.
God designed marriage to bring together two unique individuals into a sacred union where they “become one.” That requires a lot of hard work, selflessness, and a commitment to love your spouse through the good and the ugly.
It’s a moving story of how God brought a father and son together through tragic circumstances.
It all started when Officer Jody Thompson responded to a dispatch about a physical child abuse case two years ago, CBS News reports.
When he arrived at the scene, Officer Thompson saw something he’d never forget.
A boy, John, was covered in bruises and abrasions from head to toe. He was severely underweight. His wrists were bound by belts, and he had been submerged in a trash can full of cold water.
Are you a clam or a crowbar?
That’s an analogy Dr. David Clarke uses to help husbands and wives understand how their poor communication skills have landed them in his counseling office.
In almost every marriage, there’s a clam. The percentages suggest it’s usually men, but it can be women, too.
In either case, clams are the ones who don’t naturally talk on an emotionally deep level. They clam up. But every time they do, their spouses break out a crowbar to pry them open.
Lately, Planned Parenthood has been making it crystal clear what it’s all about – abortion.
That’s the big takeaway from a recent interview Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards gave to The Atlantic last week.
The piece looks at the existential threat looming over it: the United States Congress’ repeated attempts, backed by the White House, to defund the nation’s top abortion provider.
“This has led some to wonder why Planned Parenthood doesn’t just spin off its abortion services into a separate organization,” The Atlantic explains.
“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Quick. Who said that?
If you don’t know the answer, here’s a clue: He was an American Patriot who said those words at the age of twenty-one just before he was hanged.
Still no guesses?
Don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. That kind of rich history hasn’t been taught very well for decades. It’s alarming, frankly.
Knowing and understanding our history is much more important than memorizing a sea of dates and names.
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.
