Daly Focus Blog
“I didn’t believe in God anymore. I felt like people were offering me a broken chair to sit in.”
That devastating lie, and others, were sown deep in Lacey Sturm’s heart early in life, and it nearly drove her to commit suicide.
She was 10 years old when her 3-year-old cousin was beaten to death by his stepdad. Any assurance that God noticed Lacey or cared about her at all died that day, too.
“Where is God?” she wondered.
Picture yourself in an antique store.
You’re standing before an old chair, its wood dinged up and the varnish dirty and worn. At first, you have trouble seeing past the grime and scratches to appreciate its craftsmanship.
But what if, just as you turn to leave the store, you discovered the chair belonged to Abraham Lincoln? Suddenly, instead of a banged up old relic, you’re looking at a piece of history.
What happened? The chair didn’t change.
As a single person, sometimes I look around and wonder what happened to marriage.
In my Millennial demographic, it seems like more people are choosing to live together or hookup with someone on Tinder than choosing to tie the knot.
The studies show that there’s a growing pool of young single adults who seem to have little drive to marry. A recent Pew Research study found that most Millennials won’t marry until at least age 27, and 25 percent will never marry at all.
The first indication something was wrong with Jane’s father was after a situation she now calls the “splintering incident.”
He was 87 years old and had driven into the side of the garage. “His foot slipped off the brake,” her mother told her.
Jane and her husband Mike laughed it off. “After all,” they thought, “that kind of thing happens, right?” Only, the same thing happened just a couple of weeks later.
That was the beginning of a long season of tough decisions and rollercoaster emotions for Jane and her husband, Mike.
Don’t you love to hear your spouse lean over and whisper in your ear, “Nakupenda na wanataka kutumia muda zaidi na wewe”?
Unless you speak fluent Swahili, you wouldn’t recognize your spouse’s “sweet nothings” as, “I love you and want to spend more time with you.”
I’m guessing Swahili isn’t what’s complicating your marriage, but it illustrates why so many husbands and wives feel misunderstood by one another. They are – in essence – speaking different languages.
Daniel was 13 years old when he wrote that he had a “great life.” Just a few weeks later, he was dead.
According to his letter, Daniel’s “great life” spiraled out of control right after he started junior high. Five classmates had bullied him incessantly. And when Daniel tried to defend himself, fights broke out.
Daniel wrote that he had “begged and pleaded” with his teachers and the school’s principal to intervene, but they “didn’t do ANYTHING!”
The school denied any wrongdoing, but the bullying didn’t stop until … sadly … Daniel ended his own life.
The Bible is filled with promises.
To name a few, Jesus promises to never leave us or forsake us. He promises that there is nothing on Earth that can pluck us out of His hand. He promises a peace that passes all understanding that can sustain us in crisis. He promised to prepare a place for us in heaven. And, He promises one day He will return and make all things new. Such promises are often quoted by believers, or printed on 3″x 5″
scripture cards for use around the dinner table as a source of encouragement.
I know my wife loves me.
She tells me so every day, but she also brings me coffee.
I usually start each day with some quiet time for devotions and to look over work for the day ahead. Many days Jean will bring me a nice hot cup of joe. It’s her way of saying, “I love you.”
I should say, it’s my way of hearing, “I love you.”
In the same way our personality has us hardwired to be introverted or extroverted, we all feel love in specific ways.
“I think abortion is immoral. But I’m glad it’s legal.”
Ever heard someone say that? Not only do I disagree with the sentiment, it’s inherently illogical. Most people who say it don’t realize that.
Then again, a lot of us in the pro-life camp may not realize it, either. We often don’t know how to respond to arguments that portray abortion as a practical and rational choice for society.
My answer to that kind of reasoning is to point to two fundamental questions that have driven the debate about abortion, euthanasia, and other crucial pro-life issues for decades:
1.
Yesterday I shared with you how schools, community groups and churches can work together to help parents increase their children’s likelihood of success in life through the evidence-based, bilingual program Raising Highly Capable Kids.
Developed to build stronger families by empowering parents, Raising Highly Capable Kids helps parents understand what foundational building blocks their children need to exhibit the positive behaviors – and avoid the negative behaviors – that will ultimately help them do well in life.
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.
