Daly Focus Blog
It’s been said that it’s “easier to build a boy than to mend a man.”
I agree.
A startling number of boys today are alone, left to figure out for themselves what it means to be a man. They don’t have a father in the home who will engage them.
Oh, Dad may be there. But he isn’t present.
There are a lot of great dads out there, but too many men are disengaged. They don’t see manhood as a quality to intentionally bestow upon their sons.
For couples to have a strong marriage, they have to spend time together. But that can be tough when life is so busy. One of the ways to solve that problem is to maximize everyday moments. How? Instead of waiting for the perfect circumstances to come along, take advantage of key moments that already happen every day.
The first is when you say goodbye in the morning. On a typical day, one or both of you will likely leave the house.
Did you get married to do laundry? To pay bills? To cook dinner or wash the dishes?
No one does. And yet, many couples wind up with a marriage that becomes “ho-hum” and business-like. At some point after the joy of the wedding ceremony, life settles into a daily grind of routine activity. Careers are chased, children are born, a larger home is purchased with two new cars in the garage.
And, slowly, the romance fades.
It was just an old watch.
That’s what one man thought when he decided to have his Rolex appraised by the experts at Antiques Roadshow. The man, identified only as “David,” had bought the watch in 1974 for $345. He’d worn it just a few times in all those years and didn’t believe it had increased much in value. Boy, was he wrong.
The appraiser surprised David by telling him that the watch was worth at least $200,000.
The wear and tear of everyday life can take a toll on even the happiest couples. Which is why marriage and family counselor Dr. Randy Schroeder says seeking daily happiness is unrealistic. A better approach is to pursue consistent marital satisfaction.
How? Through good habits.
Dr. Schroeder offers “4 daily essentials” that will help create good habits in your relationship with your spouse:
“Goodbye, I love you.” Whoever leaves the house each day first should be the one to say this.
If you’re stuck in the wilderness and everything around you is thick with trees, true north is what gets you out. When you’re navigating the confusion of society, your spiritual and relational true north will guide you.
Jesus gave us His true north when he said that the two greatest things we can do are love God and love our neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40). He equated the two. Which means that when the world is spinning out of control, the way through is to cling to objective values that never change – like truth, love, and humble sacrifice.
The midterm elections are now less than fifty days away, and once again issues that Christians care about are front and center, reflected in the positions of candidates and their political parties.
History often rests in the hands of ordinary citizens, especially when it comes to electoral politics and the hard-fought privilege we have to cast our vote each election.
It was Plato who aptly said that “The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”
Or to be even more candid, “Elections belong to the people,” said Abraham Lincoln.
A lot of moms say they’re stressed out. Is it any wonder why? They’re driving themselves into the ground, chasing a standard of perfection no one could possibly meet.
A lot of you know what I’m talking about. You’re a fulltime employee outside the home … a job you go to only once you’ve gotten your children up, fed, and off to school. And when you get home that night, you’re still on the clock. If you’re not cooking dinner or helping your children with homework, you’re probably driving somebody to their soccer practice or dental appointment.
I’ve raised two boys, so I understand how busy life can be for parents. Finding free time to spend with your children between responsibilities at work and responsibilities at home can be difficult.
I also know this: opportunities to engage with your children are in front of you right now, but you have to harness them. Instead of sitting back and watching your child’s life unfold in front of you … step into the painting.
That phrase – “step into the painting” – means instead of standing back and admiring life from a distance, step into it.
For a happy life, perspective is key.
After her older son’s football game one Friday night, author and speaker Chrystal Evans Hurst drove her younger kids to a fast-food place for dinner. On the way home, traffic was heavy, bumper to bumper for miles. When traffic finally thinned, the driver in front of Chrystal sped up, so she sped up, too. But just as quickly the driver in front of her hit his brakes, forcing Chrystal to hit hers.
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.
