Daly Focus Blog
What’s the single most important thing you can do for your relationship?
Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott answer that question with a simple: get healthy. Your relationship with your kids, your friends, and your spouse will only be as healthy as you are. Becoming healthy requires allowing God’s word to higlight your strengths and weaknesses.
The Parrotts once visited Michelangelo’s famous statue King David while visiting Italy. Thousands of other people were there that day as well.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
If you’re single, have you applied that verse to your dating relationships and search for a godly spouse?
Many Christian singles seek the same things in a mate as non-Christian singles. They focus on whether or not they’re physically attracted, share common interests, enjoy each other’s company, or share chemistry.
Each trait has its place in a marriage, but none provide a relationship with the stability a couple needs to build a life together.
Author Dave Willis saw the life-changing power of love on a visit to an orphanage in Guatemala called Casa Shalom, which means “house of peace.”
The privately-run Christian orphanage serves about a hundred kids at a time in a place where most orphanages are government-run and fraught with corruption. Some of the children have been sex-trafficked, exploited by the very people who should have been protecting them.
On his first visit there, Dave was introduced to a young Guatemalan girl named Margarita.
Skyscrapers are amazing feats of engineering. They have to be strong enough to resist the forces that come against them, like gravity and wind. That’s why skyscrapers are built with steel.
They also need to be flexible enough to withstand the forces that come against them … like gravity and wind. That’s why architects design skyscrapers with a certain amount of sway.
Strength and softness. The two sides of a superstructure. The two sides of love as well.
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.
If your marriage is in trouble, I have one question: Do you believe God can work a miracle in your relationship?
If your answer is no, I encourage you to tune into our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Strengthening Your Marriage Through Daily Choices” to hear the story of Ron and Jody Zappia.
It’s an understatement to say that they had a very shaky start to their marriage. Within the first six months, Jody was overcommitted in her career, and Ron had an affair with a co-worker.
Today, I’ve got a simple idea that will help you build a great marriage. It’s fun, too.
Laugh together.
Studies show that couples who laugh are healthier, happier, and more connected to each other. Even little giggles between you and your spouse can play a meaningful part in creating bonds that you’ll share forever.
That’s because laughter is a powerful connecter. In fact, at its heart, laughter is mostly about connection. It’s only partially about humor. Studies show that we laugh more when we’re with other people than when we’re alone.
Dating can be tough. You probably already know that if you’re single. It’s no small matter pursuing a relationship with someone who has the potential to be your spouse one day.
What is God saying to you about marriage?
I made a commitment in my early 20s to serve the Lord through singleness if that were His plan for me. On a Wednesday night about a year and a half later, I encountered God in a way unlike anything I’d experienced before or since.
One writer called grandparenting “the greatest job on earth, handed to you wrapped in a blanket.”
Friends and colleagues of mine who are grandparents tell me it’s a blast.
But they also tell me grandparenting can be a challenge.
Like, how do you stay connected when you live far away from your adult children and grandchildren?
Or how do you maintain a healthy relationship with your adult children? This is a new season of life for both of you.
Theresa had a stroke 18 years ago. She lost control over her hands. Which means for all these years she’s struggled to do simple things in life, like styling her own hair. That’s why when she goes to the beauty salon, she leaves with a smile. She feels beautiful.
The trouble is, as soon as she washes her hair it falls flat, and she can’t get it to look the way her stylist does. Which means, until her next hair appointment comes around, Theresa doesn’t smile as much.
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.
