Daly Focus Blog
Have you ever had a shirt with a loose thread? It seems like such a small thing, doesn’t it? But all it takes is one quick tug for you to realize that thread is part of a much larger problem. The next thing you know, your clothing is unraveling right before your eyes.
A marriage can have loose threads, too. A husband and wife don’t see eye-to-eye, or they’re not communicating very well, or little resentments start to crop up here and there.
Do you like football?
Not everybody does, of course, a reality that can lead to frustrations in marriage.
My wife, Jean, isn’t a raving fan of the game, but she appreciates the enjoyment the boys and I get from both playing and watching it. That said, we’re not overly “plugged in” to a regimen of watching on television. Because we don’t watch regular TV at all, catching a Sunday afternoon game is a treat.
But what about the husband or wife (women make up 45 percent of the NFL fan base) for whom football is a major passion?
The line that separates the heights of success from the depths of despair is often razor thin.
Take our guests on today’s and tomorrow’s programs, for example.
Darryl Strawberry was a power hitting, eight-time All-Star outfielder who earned four World Series rings. In 17 seasons, he played for a number of Major League baseball teams, including the New York Mets and the New York Yankees.
But his career, and his life, were derailed by substance abuse, prison time, and dysfunctional family relationships that cost him two marriages and estranged him from his children.
Do you and your spouse fight “well”?
That’s not a trick question. There really is such a thing as “healthy conflict” in marriage.
Here at Focus, we find that couples fall into one of three beliefs about marital conflict. One is the group who enters marriage expecting an unrealistic level of agreement and perfection in their relationship. If they’re truly happy and meant for one another, they believe, there shouldn’t be any conflict. That’s not a very realistic view of human relationship.
New research suggests the millennial generation is finally ready to settle down, get married and start a family – in that order.
That’s good news after years of disheartening trends. Ever since the sexual revolution, most of what we’ve heard about marriage has been bleak. Marriage scholar Brad Wilcox explains: “Since the 1960s, the rate of new marriages has fallen by more than 50 percent, and rates of divorce and single parenthood has more than doubled.”
Until recently, things haven’t shown signs of improving.
Note: If you’re looking for a powerful and uplifting faith-filled movie this weekend, I’d encourage you to consider “WAR ROOM“– a new film from the creators of “Fireproof” and “Courageous.” My colleague, Adam Holz, writes that War Room shows “…what it really looks like to create space for prayer in our lives amid the real struggles that inevitably conspire to crowd it out.” To read his full review, please visit our Plugged In website.
Owners of Ashley Madison, the infamous adultery-facilitating website, bill themselves as being a source of “online personals & [a] dating destination for casual encounters.”
They’re also a site and source of misery and lies. And now, thanks to hackers, millions of their users have had their private sins made public.
During my career as a minister and clinical psychologist, I’ve worked with hundreds of couples grappling with the excruciating pain and heartbreak of infidelity. The reality is there’s nothing new about sexual sin.
“Marriage is important, but it’s not the most important thing.”
That comment may seem a bit off-the-wall coming from a guest on the Focus on the Family broadcast. But then, Francis Chan often has a unique way of looking at God and His people.
Francis and his wife, Lisa, join us for today and tomorrow’s program, “Living Your Marriage in View of Eternity.” They’ll offer some challenging insights about living the Christian life, about consistency in our faith, and about being adventurous, not just in our walk with God, but in our walk with our mate, as well.
I recall an informal poll I saw once that showed how many people thought the saying “cleanliness is next to godliness” was in the Bible. I don’t remember the exact percentage, but it was the vast majority, something like 80 percent.
For the record, it’s not in Scripture. But the fact that so many people think it is reveals a deeper issue, I think.
There are a lot of expectations placed on Christian women today to keep a household running smoothly.
Do you have a goal for your marriage?
Hopefully, your answer is a little more inspiring than, “To stay married.”
Sadly, that’s about as enthusiastic as many couples get about their relationship. They haven’t discovered a greater purpose for their lives together. And let’s face it, it’s hard to find happiness with your spouse if life has become an endless string of mundane days.
Wives, in particular, usually feel happier if they know their relationship is growing deeper, more intimate, and more romantic.
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.
