A
harsh reality of our culture in America today is that father's seem to not be
present or have somehow abused their children. This reality is a devastating
reality. The effects of a child not having a father are tremendous and can
haunt a person for the rest of their lives. According to fatherhood.about.com, children who are fatherless make up 63% of
suicides, 85% of behavioral disorders, 71% of high school drop outs, and 70% of
the population in juvenile detention centers. These are staggering
statistics and something needs to be done about this. If the men of this
generation stood up and became the father’s that they should be then there
would not nearly be enough problems and evil that we see in our society today.
An encounter I had with this came from this summer when I worked at Sky Ranch
Christian Camps this summer. We had a week where they brought in inner city
kids from Dallas and allowed them to come for free. The last night there we had
a campfire and allowed the kids to share what they had learned that week. The
next hour or so I saw some of the most broken kids I have ever seen in my life
and it was one of the saddest experiences I have seen in my life. I was
devastated to see how hurt these kids were and probably 90% of their hurt came
from not having a father figure in their life. Dads are so important to young
kids and our culture has them watching sports and working late hours everyday
which is not what they are created to do. Men need to rise up and be there for
their children. Another negative effect of not having a good father figure in
your life is that it gives someone a false perception of God as their Father. Knowing the
Father heart of God can completely change someones life. When you come to know
that God is your heavenly father who loves you with an unconditional love and
who can only give good gifts to His children, it will change your life forever.
Coming into that revelation is so sweet and knowing the identity as a son of
the Most High King is amazing! God is a good father who is a far better than
even the best of dads out there.
Wow. Reading this definitely made me smile. I know that A&M is a strong conservative, Christian university but it is so cool seeing it first hand (or rather reading it first hand). And I couldn't agree more. I was blessed enough to have amazing parents who taught me the way of the Lord and a father who lives by and teaches God's grace to us kids and when I see my others who are broken inside because they are missing that stability in their lives my heart hurts for them. I just hope that one day everyone can know the peace that can be found through His love and grace.
ReplyDeleteLiving in a world where pre-marital sex is all the rage, it is not a surprise that so many kids are growing up without a father. But as the figures show, it is so vitally important that there is some sort of father-figure in the mix. Whether it be through boy scouts, the local church, or close family, I think mothers should make it a point to have a man mentoring their children.
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