Daly Focus Blog
On my first day of kindergarten, I refused to go. My mom had to drag me down the block to the school.
But something magical happened that first morning – and her name was Mrs. Smith, my kindergarten teacher. I had an immediate crush on her. In fact, I was so smitten, I didn’t want to leave that afternoon. So just like my mother had to drag me to school, my teacher had to drag me home.
It’s estimated that 80% of women are lonely in their marriages.
Many wives who struggle with loneliness believe it is impossible to change their marriages. Their relationships are plagued by disappointment, anger, or monotony. Why? The answer often lies in unmet expectations.
When we’re dating, it’s tempting to seek complete fulfillment from the person we love. But once we’re married, we find that our spouse simply isn’t able to fulfill our every need. This can lead to a host of issues.
If God is loving, why does He allow pain and suffering in our lives? Can He truly be good, even in dark circumstances?
Jesus’ death on the cross guaranteed heaven for us in the next life. Then, there will be no more struggles, no more heartache, no more tears.
But what about in the meantime? What good is God to us in this life? What is He up to in our lives right now – especially if He doesn’t appear to be up to anything at all?
Deborah Pegues is the author of the book 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue. The idea for the book came to her after she didn’t control her tongue with a friend.
She thought she was helping when she told somebody else something she wasn’t supposed to tell. Her attempt to help backfired, and she discovered firsthand what happens when we don’t use our words wisely.
That’s when Deborah decided to go on a “tongue fast.” For 30 days, she refused to speak negatively about anything – not the traffic, not the weather, nothing that she couldn’t directly positively influence.
If you’re a parent, you may feel like you’ve got everything under control most days. But every now and then, something unexpected happens and nothing goes right with your kids. If that’s been your experience, we’ve got some great encouragement for you today on the Focus on the Family Broadcast.
That sense of frustration and of wondering, “What do we do now?” is something Jean and I have experienced many times with our boys.
Parenting is filled with surprises for most of us, and it’s often a lot harder than we expected.
Jesus is your redeemer.
I hope you believe that.
Christians say that they do. That is what good Christian theology teaches, after all. But do we believe it?
Let’s face it, some days the hill we’re climbing can seem so steep we lose hope that we can survive to the top. Life is hard. Jesus told us it would be. In John 16:33 says, “In this world, you will have trouble.” But he also offered hope to the suffering through His suffering on the cross.
On today’s Focus on the Family Broadcast we’re hearing from Laurie Coombs, who has an amazing story of forgiveness.
Luke 6:27-28 says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you” (ESV). For me, and for many of you, that verse is one of the most convicting in all of Scripture. It’s hard to live up to God’s standard in this area. In fact, without His Spirit and character enabling you, I’d say it’s impossible to achieve that depth of forgiveness.
In set 16 of the That the World May Know series, titled “Cultures in Conflict,” Bible teacher Ray Vander Laan leads viewers on a journey with the Apostle Paul as he preaches in Athens, Greece on Mars Hill and founds the church in Corinth.
Along the way, Ray highlights Paul’s tremendous ability to share God’s truth in a way the culture of his day could understand.
In Corinth, for example, one of the most important structures was a temple dedicated to Asclepius, the god of healing.
I think Jean would agree that I have a pretty good handle on my anger.
Okay, she’d probably rat me out for being “hangry” from time to time. But, c’mon, doesn’t everybody get a little grumpy when they haven’t eaten? The important thing is that I recognize what I’m really angry about. I’m not upset with Jean, I’m cranky because I want food.
That distinction may sound like semantics, but it’s actually key to resolving some of what ticks us off.
The culture is inundating us with messages that chip away at the moorings upon which God’s design for marriage is built.
We shouldn’t be surprised.
Ephesians 5:31 says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” The next verse says, “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” (v.32).
According to Paul, an intimate marriage says to the world, “This is a picture of Christ’s love for His church.
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.
