Daly Focus Blog
Picture yourself in an antique store.
You’re standing before an old chair, its wood dinged up and the varnish dirty and worn. At first, you have trouble seeing past the grime and scratches to appreciate its craftsmanship.
But what if, just as you turn to leave the store, you discovered the chair belonged to Abraham Lincoln? Suddenly, instead of a banged up old relic, you’re looking at a piece of history.
What happened? The chair didn’t change.
Daniel was 13 years old when he wrote that he had a “great life.” Just a few weeks later, he was dead.
According to his letter, Daniel’s “great life” spiraled out of control right after he started junior high. Five classmates had bullied him incessantly. And when Daniel tried to defend himself, fights broke out.
Daniel wrote that he had “begged and pleaded” with his teachers and the school’s principal to intervene, but they “didn’t do ANYTHING!”
The school denied any wrongdoing, but the bullying didn’t stop until … sadly … Daniel ended his own life.
I know my wife loves me.
She tells me so every day, but she also brings me coffee.
I usually start each day with some quiet time for devotions and to look over work for the day ahead. Many days Jean will bring me a nice hot cup of joe. It’s her way of saying, “I love you.”
I should say, it’s my way of hearing, “I love you.”
In the same way our personality has us hardwired to be introverted or extroverted, we all feel love in specific ways.
“I think abortion is immoral. But I’m glad it’s legal.”
Ever heard someone say that? Not only do I disagree with the sentiment, it’s inherently illogical. Most people who say it don’t realize that.
Then again, a lot of us in the pro-life camp may not realize it, either. We often don’t know how to respond to arguments that portray abortion as a practical and rational choice for society.
My answer to that kind of reasoning is to point to two fundamental questions that have driven the debate about abortion, euthanasia, and other crucial pro-life issues for decades:
1.
You have to be a creative parent when your child is strong-willed. A headstrong child rarely backs down from even the smallest challenge when it’s a question of who’s in control.
One of our boys is strong-willed, and Jean and I have joked about how we’re raising a lawyer-in-training. He can find a loophole in anything.
Jean once held a women’s tea and set out chocolates in the living room. She later discovered half the bowl was gone.
Several months ago, the Daly household grew by two when we invited foster kids into our home. I’m happy we’re getting a chance to have an impact on these young people.
Well … I am now, at least.
The credit for our involvement belongs to Jean. It was easy for me to rationalize why we couldn’t do it. “We’re too busy. We’ve got two teenagers and have so much going on. How could we possibly do this?”
Jean just looked at me and said, “How can we not do it?”
That’s the dilemma we often face, isn’t it?
The empty nest years can sneak up on a marriage.
I shared my thoughts about this in a post a few weeks ago:
“Well-meaning moms and dads spend so many years completely devoted to the task of raising their children that they often forget to be husband and wife. It’s a situation that may be manageable while the kids are still at home and there’s enough work to ‘float’ the relationship along – but it can become unbearable after the kids move out.
Parents, every day you’re passing on a legacy to your children.
What are you leaving them?
Jean and I have two teenage boys at home, and we think a lot about how we can instill them with the biblical values we know will carry them through their lives.
There are countless ways moms and dads can pass their faith on to their children, a lot of them based on the family’s schedule and each member’s unique personality.
I’ve needed God to give me a second chance to do His will a few times in my life.
Just one example would be my high school football career. I was my team’s starting quarterback and spent long hours honing my performance and pushing myself to be at the top of my game. Several colleges had offered me scholarships and future opportunities seemed wide open for me.
But God started moving me in another direction the night my big brother came to a game.
Here in Colorado, you can tell that winter is right around the corner. The days are getting cooler, and you can feel it in your bones: that first arctic blast isn’t too far off.
The end of summer has me already longing for spring because once the cold, snow, and ice set in around here, they seem to last forever.
It’s no fun being stuck in winter.
That icy chill is even worse to be stuck in when it describes your marriage.
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.
