Daly Focus Blog
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.
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.
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.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Building Healthy Friendships Among Men,” we’re talking with popular comedic group, The Skit Guys, Eddie James and Tommy Woodward.
They’re sharing how God has worked through their friendship across 30 years to grow them as husbands, fathers, and men.
Their friendship wasn’t natural or likely. In the 9th grade, Eddie’s girlfriend, Jill, told him that she liked someone else. That someone else was Tommy Woodward. Eventually Eddie and Tommy became friends, and Eddie became a Christian through Tommy’s church.
If your marriage isn’t all that it could be, maybe you’ve forgotten how valuable your spouse really is.
One Christmas, author Gary Thomas decided to help his wife Lisa decorate. As he set out a few knick-knacks, one of the ceramic reindeer slipped off the edge and shattered into pieces. Lisa barely blinked an eye. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’ll just buy another one.”
Fast forward a couple of months and Gary was emptying the dishwasher when a teacup slipped through his fingers and broke.
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.
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.
Treasure hunter Jennifer Docker has recovered a lot of expensive artifacts over the years. But the most valuable thing she’s found wasn’t worth a dime.
Jennifer was diving at the bottom of a river scouring for treasure when she found a bottle buried in mud. The cork had partially rotted away, but inside, still mostly intact, was a handwritten message. Back on the boat, Jennifer retrieved the note and unrolled it. It was dated November 1926 and read: “Will the person who finds this bottle return the paper to George Morrow in Cheboygan, Michigan and tell him where it was found?”
Jennifer posted a photo of her discovery on social media.
We can’t change our past. But we can learn how to transform yesterday’s pain into something positive for today.
I can still feel the embarrassment. Each football season my high school held an event called “Dad’s Night.” I dreaded it all year. The whole team lined up on the field as the announcer called out names, and dads ran out to stand by their son. All too soon, it was my turn.
“Jim Daly,” said the voice over the loudspeaker.
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.
