Some may call this the "fatherless generation." Recent statistics from various sources are alarming and indicate that the epidemic of absent fathers in our generation correlates with increased crime rates, youth suicide rates, behavioral disorders, and many, many more forms of human brokenness. We also live in an age where movements like #metoo and headline after headline report shocking scandals of men in power who have taken advantage of women in the worst ways. This may lead some to question where the "good men" have gone, and if there is still hope for generations to come.
But on this Father's Day, I am reminded of two very encouraging passages in Scripture that relate to fathers... so whether you found yourself today honoring your earthly father or harboring bitterness or the sting of loss towards a father not present, perhaps you can find comfort and truth in these verses also, as I have found in my own life...
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. - Proverbs 17:6
My own father embodies this verse by the way he has lived his life, raised his children, and now embraces his many grandchildren. Growing up, he constantly told me I could be anything I wanted to be, do anything I wanted to do, and go anywhere I wanted to go... and because of the positive identity he spoke over me, I believed it! He was always present, always encouraging, always protecting. Because of his influence in my life, I learned at an early age that these were principles that reflected the Heavenly Father's love for me, and I embraced that view of God.
My father's encouragement to be anything, do anything, and go anywhere I wanted literally came full circle when I received a phone call in the spring of 2014 while living on the East coast. It was my Dad, telling me that he had just received news of a job promotion that would relocate he and my mother from the small hometown where I was born and raised to the city. Literally, within that same hour, I had received a phone call offering me an interview in the same city. The rest of the story probably goes without needing further description, but suffice it to say that a couple years later, we live 3 miles apart and commute to jobs that are in the same downtown area of the city. Getting to ride to work with my dad in my early 30s - and seeing my own dad as an amazing grandfather to my children - is like my childhood coming full circle in the best way possible!
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. - Psalm 68:5
My husband was born into the world not knowing the love of a father. Abandoned by his biological father and then eventually by his adoptive father, he did not initially experience the truth that "the glory of children is their father." However, in God's faithfulness, He revealed himself as "a father to the fatherless." He spoke truth and identity into my husband's life through a couple of strong men - especially his grandfather - who displayed the Father's love. Instead of falling as a victim into the mistakes of his earthly fathers, my husband was drawn to the example of the love of a perfect Heavenly Father.
Now I stand amazed at the father my husband is to our daughters. He is steadfast and strong, unwavering in his patience. He is gentle and attentive, ever present in their lives. He has not learned these things from a present earthly father; he has learned them from a perfect Father to the fatherless. Now, as we prepare to welcome our third baby girl, I am awestruck by the revelation of the Father's love for my husband that has completely changed the course of his life. Our girls will grow up much like I did, being loved and empowered by a father who tells them they can be anything they want to be, do anything they want to do, and go anywhere they want to go. Because their daddy personally experienced the "father to the fatherless" in his own life, our girls will be raised in the truth that "the glory of children is their father."
Our world needs strong fathers more than ever, men who are willing to step up and speak truth and identity into their children's lives. After all, they are the glory of their children. But thankfully, even when this role isn't filled, our Heavenly father is a perfect Father to the fatherless! May we know and encourage men in our lives who act as father figures, to their own children and to those who are fatherless.
-L
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