Daly Focus Blog
As the saying goes, “Laughter is good for the soul.” It’s good for your soul as a parent as well.
Studies show that families who laugh are healthier, happier and more connected to each other. Even little giggles between you and your family play a meaningful part in creating bonds that you’ll share forever.
Laughter is a powerful connector. In fact, at its heart, laughter is mostly about connection, only partially about humor. We laugh more when we’re with other people than when we’re alone.
Over the years, loving my wife has most often expressed itself in small ways. Like when our boys were young and full of energy. Some nights I’d come home after a long, busy day at work, and Jean would meet me at the door with Trent and Troy – 5 and 3 years old at the time – and say, “Take them.”
Jean and I were both desperate for a recharge after a long day, but in that moment, there was only room for one of us to take a breather.
You’d think I’d have marriage down pat by now. My wife, Jean, and I have been married almost 40 years. I’ve also spent the majority of my career leading an organization that helps families thrive. Nevertheless, while I believe I’m becoming all that God desires of me, I’ll always be an imperfect work in progress.
But I guess that’s true of all of us. Whether you’ve been married as long as me or you’re a newlywed, all of us can take small steps and grow as a husbands and wives.
The empty nest years can be a “tight ring season.”
That’s a term coined by Marci Seither and her husband after a customer hired the Seithers’ sawmill in Northern California to remove a huge tree from the spot where their new home would be built. Feeling it a shame to lose such a beautiful tree, the homeowners planned to recycle the lumber by using it in the house’s construction.
But once they cut down the tree, they discovered the wood was too weak to use.
Bob and Audrey wanted to change the world. They got married and hit the ground running. Within a few years, they had three kids. They worked at the local and the national level to strengthen families. They were well known in the community. And they were busy. Really busy. Not only did they not see that as a problem, they saw it as a mindset. Every moment was an important opportunity to reach somebody that needed help.
Everyone is chasing significance of some kind:
Achievement.
Recognition.
Wealth.
Power.
Popularity.
Success.
But when “the chase” takes center stage, the busyness and focus required can leave us with no energy to offer our most important relationships.
How can we prioritize our marriage and family in light of all the responsibilities that demand our attention each day?
Authors Josh and Christi Straub are answering that question on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. They believe couples can transform their relationship by becoming the president of their spouse’s “fan club.” That means focusing on what matters, championing their strengths, and encouraging them to become the best version of themselves – that is, who God designed them to be.
Many parents feel anxious about the growing number of negative cultural influences that reduce the possibility that this generation will base their lives in the Christian faith. According to statistics, 45-48% of children today leave church after college and never return. Many disconnect from their faith even earlier.
This poses a significant challenge for parents. While it’s wise to monitor your children’s exposure to music, videos, and social media, they also need to learn discernment. Most situations are a mixture of good and bad.
Author Melanie Shankle says each of us has dragons to face. She means life is a journey in which we continually encounter difficult situations, learn to trust God, and by His grace grow through adversity.
Sometimes the dragons we have to slay are those that rise up from our past via an unhealthy, even toxic, childhood. If this describes, you, Melanie shares your pain. Like you she grew up in a household shaped by abuse, manipulation, or alcoholism.
The late Steve Farrar believed Psalm 23 was the most dangerous Psalm in the Bible – dangerous because we know it so well that it loses its deep meaning and significance. The Psalm is only six verses long, but each one is potent and pregnant with meaning.
David, who wrote Psalm 23, could have written from the perspective of the shepherd. Instead, he wrote it from the perspective of the sheep. God’s people are called “sheep” over 200 times in the Bible.
One of the most common questions people ask is, “Where is God when we suffer?”
I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I would say this: God doesn’t abandon us in our pain; He’s with us in it.
Hardship makes us feel isolated. From God. From everyone. But we don’t have to search for God in the clouds when we feel alone. He’s right there with us wherever grace and truth are found. He’s in charity work, in shelters, and in religious communities.
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.
