Daly Focus Blog
One million.
That’s a big number. But on today of all days, that number takes on even greater value and significance.
That’s because today is Memorial Day, the day we remember over one million Americans who have died in war on behalf of us all.
That figure is astounding by itself. But it’s even more sobering when you reflect on this: every one of those one million has a name, and behind every name is a family whose entire world changed forever because that soldier didn’t come home alive.
Author and speaker Canon J. John tells this story:
A factory employee headed home at the end of a long day, pushing a wheelbarrow. Inside the wheelbarrow was a small box.
At the security gate, the guard stopped him and asked, “What’s in the box?”
The worker replied, “The sawdust from the floor. At the end of the day, it’s swept up and thrown away. I need some, so I put it in a box to take home.”
The guard looked inside the box and, sure enough, it was filled with sawdust.
What is human life worth?
Does every person deserve to be treated with dignity?
What about the elderly, the unborn, or the disabled?
One of the most important ideals America has pursued for 250 years is the belief that all people are equally valuable. Yet, throughout that time our nation has struggled to agree on exactly how to define human equality. After all, we don’t all have equal ability, talent, or intelligence. We’re not all equally healthy or ambitious.
Darryl Strawberry had it all. Talent. Money. Success. Fame. He had been a power-hitting, eight-time Major League All-Star who earned four World Series championships in 17 seasons with teams like the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. Then his career and his life were derailed by substance abuse and prison time. He lost two marriages, was estranged from his children, and was $3,000,000 in debt.
When Darryl met Tracy – in recovery – she was also in a bad place.
According to Lifeway Research, 57% of Americans are seeking meaning and purpose in their lives.
In the classic comic Peanuts, Charlie Brown visits Lucy’s “psychiatric” stand and asks for advice. Lucy explains that on the cruise ship of life some people arrange their deck chair at the back of the ship to see where they’ve been. Others place their chairs at the front, so they can see where they’re going. When asked which way Charlie’s chair is facing, he replies, “I’ve never been able to get one unfolded.”
Can you relate?
May is National Foster Care Month.
Nearly 400,000 children in the United States are in foster care, which means they’ve been separated from their families – in some cases, permanently – and need a safe, healthy place to live.
Unless you’ve lived as a foster kid like I did, or know a family who is involved in foster care, you’re probably not aware of how difficult these circumstances can be for children. We in the Christian community have a wonderful opportunity to come alongside these children and help them thrive.
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That means things look different depending on your perspective.
Take the Rocky Mountains, for example. If you live along the front range like I do, you get to see them up close every day. They’re one of the most beautiful mountain ranges on earth, stretching 3,000 miles from Canada to Mexico.
Maybe one of the reasons the Rocky Mountains seem so beautiful to you and me is that we live in the 21st century.
Sometimes – perhaps most of the time – what keeps us from success … is us. It’s not other people and circumstances that keep us from a better career or a better marriage. It’s us. We hold ourselves back. We’re bound by mental and emotional barriers, like imaginary ropes around our ankles that convince us we can only stray so far in a new direction.
Negative thoughts are powerful enough to hold back an elephant. Literally.
Kirsten Watson’s husband, Benjamin, played for six NFL teams and won a super Bowl in 2005. Much of those 15 years, she was on her own in a new city with a household of seven children, including twins. At one point, she was so stressed she suffered painful migraines that doctors said would continue unless she made changes.
Maybe you relate to the pressure Kirsten felt. Motherhood is beautifully rewarding, but it has its challenges. According to one Barna study:
Eight in 10 moms feel overwhelmed by stress.
Jason Smith, a middle school principal in Kentucky, met his daughter for the first time when she was in the sixth grade.
Her name was Raven. She’d been sent to Jason’s office after getting angry in the cafeteria and throwing food at a fellow student. When Jason sat Raven down, he asked her, “Would you act that way at a restaurant?” Her answer surprised him. She had never eaten in a restaurant, she said, because she’d spent her entire life in the foster care system.
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.
