Daly Focus Blog
Author Leo Tolstoy once said, “What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.”
Tolstoy’s profound insight is precisely why a successful marriage isn’t a matter of fate, chemistry, or a roll of the dice. Good relationships are about finding common ground in the midst of differences that naturally occur between two people.
The problem is, a lot of couples give up on each other too easily.
“And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29).
If we’re being honest, a lot of us would admit that we like the idea of loving our neighbors more than actually getting to know them and investing part of our lives into theirs.
I’m sure your family’s schedule looks a lot like mine. You’re busy with work and kids and everything that goes into making that all run smoothly. If you’re introverted, maybe just breaking the ice with the couple next door and starting a conversation is hard.
As I previously mentioned, I had the opportunity to travel to
Washington, D.C. last week to attend the 65th Annual National Prayer Breakfast. I usually try to “bundle” various activities and
meetings per trip, and this visit was no different. All in all, I spent nearly three days in the nation’s capital meeting with several members of Congress and with media.
During my visit to D.C., I was also able to tour the Museum of the Bible, which is located about three blocks from the Capitol.
We’re currently in the midst of National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14), a yearly celebration that recognizes the importance of this most basic human institution.
We’re also living in an age where cohabitation rates are increasing, in part because our culture increasingly doesn’t value the importance of God’s sacred and foundational gift to men and women.
Too many couples simply don’t see the value in getting married. To them, “marriage is just a piece of paper.” From their vantage point, marriage doesn’t bring any added benefits as long as they’re “secure” in their relationship.
Step into any drug store this week and you won’t be able to miss the fact that Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. The aisle filled with candy is beginning to grow crowded. The selection of cards is starting to get picked over. Open the paper or surf the Internet and you’ll see media outlets are beginning to run an assortment of holiday-related articles, from date ideas to odd gifts suggestions (“Name a roach to show your love,” anyone?).
Preparing a child for adulthood is pretty serious business for parents. After all, the adult world is a competitive place, and we want our kids to be ready for it, don’t we?
That’s why we expect our children to do well in school and in their extracurricular activities. We even want them to behave with their siblings and the neighborhood kids. We parents understand how important it is for them to make good decisions in life.
What’s the biggest “do-over” you’d want as a parent?
If you’re like many parents, your answer is probably some variation on the theme, “I wish I would’ve spent more time with my kids.”
“I wish I would’ve taken my son to more baseball games.”
“I wish I would’ve tucked my daughter into bed more, instead of yelling, ‘Good night!’ from downstairs.”
“I wish I would’ve left work more often and shown up to their games and school activities.”
I doubt any of you picked, “I’d think up a lot more rules,” as your biggest do-over.
Do you allow yourself to grieve?
Some Christians push away feelings of sadness or anger, worried that those darker emotions indicate a lack of faith. It can certainly feel like God has abandoned us when we’re enduring emotional anguish so deep that we can feel it in our bones.
Think of the agony David was feeling when he wrote in Psalm 22, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death” (14-15).
I’m on my way to Washington, D.C., today for tomorrow’s National Prayer Breakfast and a host of meetings with key influencers. Before doing so, though, I wanted to share a few thoughts on the first ten days of the new administration.
Last night President Trump made good on his campaign promise to nominate a constitutionalist in the mold of the late Antonin Scalia to the Supreme Court.
Immediately following the announcement, I posted the statement I sent to the media, where I share my sense of optimism surrounding Judge Gorsuch’s commitment to boldly stand up to the whims of culture, and have, to quote the late Justice Scalia, “the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world.”
I’m not the only one praising the pick.
This is the statement I sent to the media tonight. -J.D.
Jim Daly statement on the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
I am greatly encouraged by the President’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court created by the untimely death of Justice Antonin Scalia last year. President Trump included Judge Gorsuch on his list of potential justices during his campaign, and he kept his promise to choose a candidate from that list.
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.
