Daly Focus Blog
I saw a video that illustrates the important role fathers play in the lives of their daughters. It captured a dad in his living room watching a basketball game, jumping and yelling in support of his favorite team. Right by his side, his three-year-old daughter copied his behavior. She mimicked every jump, every hand clap, and every expression of excitement.
Then the mood changed. The dad started shouting at the television. He complained about a blown call.
Like a lot of first time moms, Jerusha Clark kept a copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting on her bedside table. She referenced it frequently. Mostly she stuck to topics on eating well and her labor and delivery.
Looking back, she remembers skipping the section on postpartum depression. Why bother? She was generally a happy woman. She enjoyed her pregnancy, and she loved being a mom when her child was born.
A few months later, everything changed.
Let me ask you this: Which part of your marriage relationship do you believe will develop the deepest intimacy?
Here are your choices:
Sexuality
Emotions
Spiritual connection
They each have their place, of course, but all things considered, spiritual connection with your spouse will create a deeper, more meaningful connection than the other two areas.
Here’s why. The benefits of spiritual intimacy naturally spill over to the other two areas, but not necessarily the other way around.
Author and speaker J.John tells this story:
At the end of a long work day, an employee left his factory, pushing a wheelbarrow through the gate to head home. Inside the wheelbarrow was a small box.
The security guard stopped the man and asked, “What have you got in your wheelbarrow?”
“I’ve got a small box,” he said.
“What’s in the box?”
The worker replied, “The sawdust from the floor. At the end of the day, it gets swept up and is thrown away.
Mom, you play a pivotal role in your son’s life.
It’s you who will help your son learn how to communicate verbally, to express his emotion, and to share his feelings – things he’s not as likely to learn from his dad.
You’re also the primary woman who will demonstrate how your son ought to treat other women – with love, strength, kindness, and character.
Then, along about junior high, your relationship with your son will begin to shift.
Today’s guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “My Journey to Salvation”is Adolph Coors IV. In this presentation recorded at a prayer breakfast, Mr. Coors shares what it was like to grow up in the family that founded the Coors Brewing Company, one of the largest breweries in the world.
His story is a fascinating tale of wealth, privilege, and tragedy – and the lessons he learned along the way are thought-provoking. Hear why he walked away from the company that bears his name and how he found the grace to forgive the prison escapee who kidnapped and brutally murdered his father.
Marriage is changing.
There are a lot of reasons for that, not the least of which are cultural forces, political maneuverings, and judicial rulings that have systematically redefined marriage in past years.
There’s also been a shift in the average age for first marriages. More and more young people are staying single for far longer than past generations. Some are choosing not to marry at all, in many cases as a reaction to seeing their own parents divorce.
I know of a couple whose daughter disappeared from home in a fit of rebellion on her 18thbirthday. Her parents were devastated. For years, they didn’t know if she was alive or dead.
Early on, her mother made a simple decision. Every night – all night – she would turn on the porch light. It was an unspoken message to her daughter: “You’re always welcome home.”
Many nights, tears streamed down that mother’s face as she locked the front door, switched on the light, and prayed for her daughter.
A couple of years ago, we shared Dr. Rosaria Butterfield’s dramatic conversion testimony. In the late ‘90s, she was professor of English and queer theory at Syracuse University in New York. She was living proudly as a lesbian and feminist and was an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights.
Her turn to faith came about from what she calls “radically ordinary hospitality.” That’s where you open up your home and your life to neighbors, friends, and strangers and intentionally share your faith.
Author Joe Pellegrino discovered it’s never too late to let your children know you love ‘em. When his son Joey was little, Joe taught him to play baseball. As a challenge, he told Joey, “If you hit the ball over my head, I’ll buy you the Lego pirate ship you’ve been wanting.”
As Joe remembers the story, Joey never hit the ball over his head. Joey remembers the day differently. Over the years, those differences in memory occasionally came up.
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.
