Daly Focus Blog
Let me ask you this question: If Jesus said to you, “I will answer every single prayer that you pray this week,” how many people in your life would you pray for to receive Christ?
Are you praying for them now?
Have you grown weary of praying for someone – or given up entirely – because nothing seems to be happening within them?
What if, as we pray for others, God does something in us? Through prayer, God molds our character, grows our patience, and empowers us to persevere.
Today, I’ve got a simple idea to help you build a great marriage. It’s fun, too.
Laugh together.
Studies show that couples who laugh are healthier, happier, and more connected. Even little giggles between you can create bonds that you’ll share forever.
Laughter is a powerful connecter. In fact, laughter is often more about connection than it is humor. Studies show that we laugh more when we’re with other people than when we’re alone.
Some of my greatest memories involve Jean and me laughing together in the car or around the dinner table.
Most of us
have spent a lot more time at home than we would have imagined possible a few
weeks ago. The good news is that we’ve gotten plenty of extra time in close
quarters to spend with our spouse.
The bad
news … is that we’ve gotten plenty of extra time in close quarters to spend
with our spouse!
When
people are thrown together in stressful situations, the good and the bad
eventually bubble to the surface.
Did you get married to work a job? To do laundry? To pay bills?
Of course not. Yet, most of us wind up with marriages in exactly that kind of “ho-hum” condition. Sooner or later, the euphoria of the wedding ceremony fades away and life settles into a daily grind of often-mundane activity. Careers are chased, children are born, and ever-larger homes are purchased. Or newer and newer cars sit outside of garages filled to the roof with stuff we’ll never use.
Sex is the one activity that differentiates marriage from every other relationship. You can have a great conversation with a friend. You can have lunch with a co-worker. You can go on vacation with a family member. But if you’re following God’s design for relationships, sex is only rightly expressed through marriage.
Milan and Kay Yerkovich say that dynamic is hugely consequential to a couple’s relationship when they can’t negotiate their sex life in healthy ways.
Marriage is serious business.
But it can also be hilarious.
You’ll discover that’s true when you hear our next Focus on the Family Broadcast: “A Lighthearted Look at Wedded Bliss.” We’re airing a recorded message from John Branyan, who takes a humorous look at the differences between men and women and explains how a couple’s unique characteristics impact their relationship in serious and hilarious ways.
John also shares a poignant story about his great-grandparents’ 70-year marriage, explaining that while married life isn’t always wedded bliss, it is life’s most profound expression of unconditional love.
A few days ago, I watched one of the most deeply moving acts of forgiveness that I have ever seen.
For those who don’t yet know, Amber Guyger, a former police officer, was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison for fatally shooting Botham Jean after allegedly mistaking his apartment for her own.
After her judgement was handed down, Brandt Jean, brother of Botham Jean, took to the stand. Instead of declaring judgement upon her, Jean decided to proclaim the gospel, and announce that he forgave Guyger.
Theresa had a stroke 18 years ago. She doesn’t have control over her hands the way she once did. She has a hard time doing simple things in life, like styling her own hair. When she goes to the beauty salon, she leaves with a smile. She feels beautiful. But as soon as she washes her hair it falls flat, and she can’t get it to look the way the stylist does.
Andrew, Theresa’s husband of nearly 45 years, knows how much joy a new hairstyle brings her.
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.
