Daly Focus Blog
How many strokes of good luck does it take for a coincidence to become a miracle?
While you consider your answer, let me share the story of Laura Buxton. She was 10 years old in 2001 when she released a red balloon into the air over her hometown in Staffordshire, England. On a card attached to the balloon, she wrote, “Please return to Laura Buxton.” Her home address was on the other side.
A few weeks later, a man 140 miles away found the balloon stuck in his hedges.
Airline passenger Becca Kinsey knew she had a problem the moment she stepped into the airport security line. She was a young mother forced to travel alone with her young boys, James and Wyatt, ages five and two. She was doing her best, but things got out of control, and she started to panic.
That’s when another young mom near Becca in line came to her rescue. She picked up one of Becca’s boys and helped Becca navigate through security.
Author Brad Rhoads never anticipated having trouble in his marriage. He and his wife, Marilyn, were so confident in their relationship that they were married within ten months of their first date and left a two-day marriage conference after just 30 minutes because they didn’t believe they needed guidance.
Their marriage faced trouble right away.
Brad blamed Marilyn. And Marilyn blamed Brad. She considered him a workaholic who devoted so much of himself to his law practice that he had nothing left to offer their marriage.
Last week’s vote in the House of Representatives to codify same-sex marriage under federal law in the event the Supreme Court reverses its Obergefell ruling of 2015 and someday sends the definition of marriage back to the states, is an election-year ploy and a political play that ignores what social science says about the multi-millennia institution.
It’s called H.R. 8404, or the “Respect for Marriage Act,” but like many other erroneously and incorrectly worded pieces of legislation (i.e., the “Women’s Health Protection Act”), it actually diminishes, undermines and disrespects the very thing it claims to protect. Its fate in the Senate remains an open question.
Please call the Senate switchboard today and urge your senators to vote NO on H.R.
One of the most popular questions we get here at Focus on the Family is, “How do I pass my values on to my children?” Let me answer that question for you by sharing two important ideas.
First and foremost is family. You, mom and dad, are the most important influence in your kids’ lives. They’re watching you. Everything you say and do makes a profound impression on what your children say and do. So, model the values you hope your children will adopt as their own.
Do you and your spouse run out of money before you run out of month? The problem may not be how much money you have but how much money has you.
If you’re having a hard time managing your bank account, the best place to start is by examining how you perceive money. The importance money has in your life will control how you use it.
So, first, be careful that your identity isn’t wrapped up in material possessions.
Organizations like the Girl Scouts of America (GSA) used to come alongside parents in reinforcing time-honored values that gave girls and young women a solid moral foundation upon which to build their lives.
But in the 1990s, moral relativism started changing that. The word “God” was removed from the GSA’s oath. The curriculum stopped promoting traditional values. And GSA leadership began adopting a pro-homosexual political agenda.
In the midst of that turmoil, serving the GSA and the girls it represented was Patti Garibay, a local troop leader.
Bad news from around the world is relentless, and there’s not much we can do to stop it. Which is a problem, considering that exposure to bad news can negatively affect people. Studies show that a steady diet of news featuring violence or tragedy elevate stress, anxiety, and sadness. Add to that the sheer amount of information we’re exposed to through newspapers, television, the Internet, and social media, and we’re virtually drowning in negativity.
What’s the remedy?
Nineteenth century author Henry Van Dyke said, “A friend is what the heart needs all the time.”
Fifteen-year-old Daniel Harrison from Nottingham, England, told his teacher he wanted a friend when she asked if he had any goals. Daniel has autism. He likes his teacher and loves his family, but he doesn’t really have any friends. His parents wondered how well Daniel even understood the concept of friendship. He had never expressed a desire before and seemed quite happy.
Parenting is the toughest job in the world.
Why?
Well, for one thing, parenting is a job you can never truly master. By the time you figure out one stage of life, your child has already moved on to the next one, and you have to start all over.
For another thing, you can never quit. You will come to the end of yourself regularly and often, but somehow, someway, you have to keep going. That small person depends on you, and God has entrusted him or her to your care.
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.
