Daly Focus Blog
Winter can stir up sadness within the happiest of hearts. Depending on where you live, the weather can be dreary this time of year. The days are short, the air is cold, and clouds often hide the sun for weeks.
If you’re struggling to escape the winter blues, take heart – spring is coming! The days are growing longer, and in just a few weeks, the temperature will get warmer. Before long, you’ll see signs of new life – blue skies will appear and flowers and green grass will emerge.
Every day society offers a skewed idea about what’s valuable. And far too often, we buy into the hype. Parents work longer and harder in a never-ending quest for bigger houses, newer cars, and the latest technology. Eventually, the stuff we own overshadows what really matters. And what really matters dwindles away.
We need ambition. But, even more, we need our ambition to be governed by larger priorities: namely our marriage and our family.
Over 150 years ago, an unnamed soldier wrote a poem that put life into focus.
Standing for what’s right isn’t always easy. But it pays off in the end.
A man named Joseph Lister is a good example of this. Believe it or not, until 1870, surgeries were conducted without sterilization. That’s right. Back then, doctors didn’t wash their hands before surgery. Neither did anyone sterilize the patient, the room, or the surgical instruments. Germ theory was just beginning to be discovered, and the medical profession didn’t believe that bacteria caused illness.
Chad Robichaux comes from a long line of military service members. His grandparents fought in World War II and Korea. His father served in Vietnam, and both of Chad’s sons served in the Marines. Chad was himself a force recon Marine who did eight deployments to Afghanistan.
Chad recalls when his vehicle was surrounded by Taliban armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. His unit referred to dangerous situations like that as “being on the X” – the X representing the center of a target.
Every father I meet has the same goal: to be a good dad. But how do you know when you’ve been one? Parenting can be tough, and it’s easy for men to question how good of a job they’re doing. In times like those, men need a moment to hold onto.
Some time back, my son Trent and I were on a father/son retreat. One night, we all sat around the campfire, and the kids were given the chance to honor their fathers.
Focus on the Family president Jim Daly writes:
Legendary football coach and NBC analyst Tony Dungy came under fire on Thursday night after word spread on social media that he had agreed to speak at today’s March for Life in Washington, D.C.
Dave Zirin, a radical Leftist and sports editor for The Nation, accused NBC of coddling Dungy’s “right-wing extremism” and called the soft-spoken coach, who believes the Bible is inerrant, “an anti-gay bigot.”
Whether as a player, a coach or a member of his church, Coach Dungy has modeled how to bring the Christian faith into the public square.
Have you ever wished that your life could be easier? Who hasn’t? Every generation has had battles they didn’t want to fight. Which is why we must learn, as they did, that we have an important part to play in making the world a better place, right now, in this generation.
In 1933, Winston Churchill warned his fellow countrymen against the rise of Nazi Germany. His message encouraged people not to shrink back from their troubles but to stand strong with courage.
Last Wednesday’s passage of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act in the House of Representatives elicited a predictable yet inexplicable chorus of criticism from pro-abortion Democrats.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the bill part of an “extreme anti-choice agenda.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., echoed Pelosi’s sentiments, suggesting the vote to protect babies born alive after a botched abortion represented “extremist views on women’s health.”
Ironically, it’s the leftists in the abortion industry who represent the most extreme positions on any of the hot-button issues in America today.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
That’s a worthwhile question for anyone to ponder – but especially a parent. Your answer has a tremendous impact on your health, your happiness, and the legacy you leave behind for your kids.
That was the conclusion of a coalition of doctors who conducted a study to determine just how important “happiness” and “a sense of meaning” were to a person’s overall well-being. Their discoveries surprised them.
Why are we so easily angered?
Anger can be good for us when it’s a protest against mistreatment in an abusive or threatening situation, or when it motivates us to seek safety from danger.
But we’re not always good managers of our anger. We feel threatened when we don’t need to be. We get emotionally worked up over mild grievances that don’t deserve a response. We use a fire hose to put out a match.
Even Christians, who believe in the fruit of the Spirit, get upset with the guy that cuts us off on the highway, or irritated when something doesn’t go our way, or frustrated when we feel like we’re not getting what we deserve.
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.
