Daly Focus Blog
When I think about living the Christian life, I am reminded of what Christ teaches in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).
The young man in the story blew his inheritance on foolish living. When he returned home, broke and humiliated, he feared that his father would disown him or, if he were merciful, hire him as a servant. Instead, his father loved him and celebrated his return, rejoicing that his lost son was now found.
When was the last time you waited for something … and were happy about it?
We often think of waiting as an obstacle, something that stands between us and whatever it is we’re anxiously anticipating. As it turns out, waiting is essential to happiness.
A Dutch study concluded that people who had a vacation to look forward to were measurably happier than people who didn’t. While that conclusion may seem obvious, it demonstrates that the anticipation leading up to an event is key to infusing that event with joy and happiness.
I recently heard a story about a college student who was upset that his professor didn’t give him the grade he felt he deserved. Instead of handling the situation himself, the student called his mother on the phone in front of the entire classroom and complained to her. Believe it or not, his mom said, “Put your professor on the phone, so I can talk to him.”
Fortunately, the professor had clear boundaries. When the young man marched to the front of the room and handed him the phone, the professor refused to take the call.
When was the last time you imagined yourself wearing a coat of chainmail, wielding a sword and shield, and setting out on a noble steed through dense forest to slay a dragon?
If it’s been awhile, tap into your imagination and reach for your trusty blade. You’ll need both to slay a foe that threatens the well-being of a large percentage of the American population.
It’s called “debt.”
Just like the fire-breathing dragons from folklore, debt wreaks havoc on households, communities, even a nation.
Withholding food from children in order to force compliance is considered a form of child abuse, and yet that’s basically what the Biden administration is doing through its draconian new guidelines for schools.
At issue is funding for school breakfast and lunch programs for underprivileged kids. According to new rules from the USDA, schools that receive funding for these programs must “update their non-discrimination policies and signage to include prohibitions against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.”
In practical terms, this means that public, private, and religious schools nationwide must embrace the Biden administration’s radical gender ideology or risk losing funding for school lunches for the students entrusted to their care.
Sometimes you need a little luck.
Park ranger Roy Sullivan had a lot of it. In fact, he holds the dubious honor by the Guinness World Records of having survived more lightning strikes than anyone.
Seven to be exact, between 1942 and 1977.
In one incident, Sullivan was driving along a mountain pass when a bolt of lightning struck trees on opposite sides of the road from each other. After hitting the first tree, the lightning passed through Sullivan’s open windows and struck the other one.
Some couples get stuck on the way to marriage. A groom named Brandon Valdez got stuck on the way to his wedding – literally – inside a broken elevator!
To honor the tradition of not seeing one another before the ceremony, Brandon and his bride-to-be, Misty, spent the night in separate hotels. In the morning, Brandon and his groomsmen boarded an elevator for the first floor. Somewhere between floors two and three the elevator jolted to a stop.
When Dr. Kathy Koch was a child, she was swimming in a lake on a family vacation when something cut open her forehead. She made it to shore and screamed for her parents, who came running and took her to the hospital for stitches. Later, Kathy could have given in to her anxiety and stayed out of the water. Instead, she confronted her fear and overcame it.
This is how resilient people live. They don’t deny what happened, but they’re also not controlled by it.
Are your kids having trouble with their grades? Most parents facing that issue are careful to explore all the typical reasons, like study habits and the negative influence of friends. But one crucial area usually gets overlooked: the child’s learning style.
When author Cynthia Tobias was a kid, she struggled with traditional classroom-type education. Unlike her younger sister, who was a compliant and serious student, Cynthia was determined to do things her own way. Fortunately, her father was wise enough to make the most of his daughter’s learning style.
Imagine taking your four-year-old child to a nearby park. Other families greet your child, but there’s no response. Then, when it’s time to leave, your child says goodbye, but more so to the tables, and trees, and playground equipment than to the people.
Author Julie Homok described her baby girl Lizzie as happy, engaged, and developing normally. Then one day she started crawling into walls. What at first seemed like a funny accident became a disheartening realization that Lizzie was losing touch with the world around her.
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.
