Daly Focus Blog
Every single person has profound worth … because every single person has value that can’t be earned or taken away.
Rembrandt’s 17th century painting The Return of the Prodigal Son is considered one of the greatest artistic masterpieces in history. It’s worth millions.
Now, let’s say you’re visiting the museum where it’s housed, and you walk out the back door into the alley. You see a painting has been tossed into the dumpster. It’s stained, and torn, and has dirt all over it.
The stats on depression and suicide in the United States are deeply concerning. According to the CDC:
Suicide rates increased almost 35% over the last twenty years.One person dies by suicide in our country every 11 minutes.In the United States, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people ages 10-34.Suicide is the 4th leading cause of death for people 35-44.
Depression is a complex web of emotions that can affect anyone – young or old, humble or successful.
You may recall that earlier this summer the United States House of Representatives passed the deceptively named “Respect for Marriage Act.” All Democrat Representatives voted in favor of it, along with 47 Republicans.
We’re now hearing that a vote in the Senate could come early next week.
H.R. 8404, requires states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states and seeks to codify it into federal law, which goes beyond the “right” to same-sex marriage invented by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision in 2015.
This Act is an assault on religious freedom and free speech.
Ladies, if you’re about to be married, let me offer you a word of caution: when you marry your prince, you also inherit the king, the queen, and the whole court! (And you often get a court jester thrown in as well!) And remember this, a good relationship with your in-laws is key for creating a marriage that thrives.
But that’s easier said than done. According to a study out of Cambridge University, 60% of women say in-law conflict has caused long-term stress.
The only thing worse than couples rushing into divorce are couples who rush into a second marriage.
First marriages are challenging. Second marriages are even harder, especially when you’re blending a family. Different expectations, conflict management, and learning how to communicate effectively are things every married couple must navigate. But stepfamilies face a different level of complexity.
When couples enter into second marriages, they often focus exclusively on their love for each other and their new lives together to the exclusion of the family unit as a whole.
Every guy knows what to do with a hole in the wall. You patch it, right? But what do you do with a hole that’s a dad-shaped wound in your soul?
When I was eleven, I moved back in with my dad. It had been six years since his arrest for threatening to kill my mom in a drunken rage. “Maybe he’s changed,” I hoped. But he hadn’t. His drinking was as bad as ever, and when he became suicidal, I bailed out.
One of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had is with a physician friend of mine whose son had just taken his life. I know how hard it can be to live through a tragedy like that. After my wife’s brother died by suicide, the family suffered tremendous guilt because they hadn’t recognized the signs that he was in trouble.
Suicide is a growing problem among young people. Approximately 30 million people between the ages of 18 and 24 are at an elevated risk of self-harm.
Before Kyle Poulson’s adoptive mother passed away in 2016, she encouraged him to find his birth mother. He began that process in February of 2017 but because his adoption records were closed, Kyle ran into dead end after dead end. He thought he might never find his birth mother.
Nina Hendee, his birth mother, believed the same thing about Kyle decades earlier. She was 16 years old in 1971 when she became pregnant. Reared in a strong Christian family, her parents encouraged her “not to cover a mistake with a tragedy” by having an abortion.
What does it mean for a man to follow the biblical admonition to nurture and cherish his wife, despite differences in the relationship?
Maybe you can relate to this exchange between author and speaker, Dan Seaborn, and his wife Jane:
Jane: I like hot tea.Dan:I like sweetened iced tea.
Jane:I don’t like to be sweaty.Dan: I love to sweat.
Jane: Yellow lights mean stop.Dan: Yellow lights mean floor it, baby!
Jane: He drives way too fast.Dan: She drives way too slowly.
When married couples decide to divorce, they often defend their decision by saying, “The children will be fine. Kids are resilient.”
The truth is losing a parent to divorce can be more difficult for a child to overcome than losing a parent to death. When a parent dies, family, friends, and the broader community surround children with love and support. But when parents divorce, people avoid talking about it, which leaves children to recover on their own.
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.
