Daly Focus Blog
Is there a secret to a happy marriage?
That’s a tough question to answer.
Every couple wants there to be a secret. They walk down the aisle believing they’re committing themselves to a person who will fill their life with joy and fulfillment. And yet, many of these couples reach out to Focus on the Family, struggling because their marriage isn’t making them as happy as they expected. And they’re often surprised to learn that the secret to happiness isn’t luck or good chemistry.
In 1986, a crowd of over 100,000 people gathered in downtown Cleveland, Ohio for an event called Balloonfest ‘86. Organizers hoped to raise money for charity and to set a new world record by releasing 1.5 million balloons simultaneously.
But things went terribly wrong.
Balloon releases are typically harmless. Helium-filled balloons stay airborne until they fully deflate. Even in large numbers, they scatter to the wind and fall harmlessly back to Earth over a wide area.
Victor Torres understands drug addiction. By the time he was a teenager, he was addicted to heroin as a gang member on the streets of New York City.
He’s not alone. Self-medication is common in our culture. Whether it’s compulsive shopping, gambling, an unhealthy desire for sweets, sex, or drugs and alcohol, the number of people who seek an artificial escape from reality is staggering.
Millions of people in the United States are diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder each year.
Our culture loves to talk about love. It’s a central theme in music, movies, and books. Love is so important to the human experience that we spend most of our lives seeking the love we want or cultivating the love we have.
But what is love?
A lot of people talk about love in terms of good feelings. It’s the euphoria we feel when we’re dating or planning a wedding. It’s wholehearted approval of ideas within the culture even though they differ from what we believe.
Dad, don’t let your teenage daughter fool you.
She needs you.
I know her attitude may not always reflect that, but it’s true. She’s caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty, hormones, and confusing messages that skew her sense of identity and self-worth. On top of that, her social world is topsy-turvy, and she’s growing, changing, and feeling awkward. With you. With everybody.
Along the way, you’ll be tempted to disengage from her and keep her at arm’s length.
To enjoy victory in life, remember: it doesn’t matter how long you’re in the lead … you have to finish well.
The last day of the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships featured an unusual outcome in the women’s 400 meter relay. Duke University held the lead from the start. They were fast. Their baton handoffs were smooth and on point. They were picture perfect, even as the University of Miami nearly pulled in front on the final stretch.
The decision to marry someone “for better or for worse” isn’t just a choice that you make once on your wedding day – it’s a choice you make every day, several times a day.
Researchers say that the average person makes about 35,000 decisions a day. Just one of those choices is the choice to love your spouse. When you’re in the day-to-day grind of building your career and parenting your children, intentionality is key in expressing love to your spouse.
The Rubik’s Cube is the best-selling children’s toy in history. It was invented in 1974 by Erno Rubik, an architectural design professor who used the cube to teach his students how to analyze design problems in three dimensions.
But before his students could use the cube, Rubik had to figure out how to solve it himself. That posed an immense challenge. The Rubik’s cube has over 43 quintillion combinations. To put that number into perspective, if everyone on earth did one combination a second, all 43 quintillion combinations would take almost 200 years.
I’m a well-organized person. I like things neat and tidy. Generally, that quality leads to positive results in my life. But it can also lead to dashed expectations and conflict. Clutter around the house can really bother me, if I let it.
So can clutter in my schedule. My leadership team here at Focus on the Family helps me manage my time well, but my life is full, and I always have more to do than I have time to do it.
I refused to go to kindergarten.
On my first day, I dug in my heels and wouldn’t walk to school with my siblings. I told my mom no and meant it. I was so stubborn about it that she personally had to usher me down the block and into the building.
I didn’t want to go, but I’m glad I did because something magical happened that first morning.
Her name was Mrs. Smith. My kindergarten teacher.
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.
