A Father To The Fatherless
Posted on Monday, March 23, 2015 by
Why Did My Dad Just Give Up?
It’s a Tuesday night after middle school Sozo and I decide to take three eighth grade boys to sonic for half price shakes. At the beginning, they’re acting like typical middle school boys. Inappropriate jokes and language, ordering a milkshake with every item in it from jalepenos to strawberries and everything in between and of course taking and hiding my cell phone. To the natural eye this seems crazy and like a headache and at times it can be, but tonight it wasn’t anything like that. If anything tonight ended up being a reminder of why I do what I do. It was also a reminder of just how much we truly need Jesus.
My Dad Gave Up
As I am taking these boys home, conversation takes a turn and reveals the deeper things going on not only in their heads but in their hearts. One boy simply says, “Man why did my dad just give up?” These boys all come from single parent households with just their moms trying to raise them and their siblings. One boy has even been kicked out of his house because of his moms boyfriend and has been bouncing from house to house. Again they are all in the eighth grade. As the conversation continues, another boy adds “yea its like everybody’s dad is gone. I don’t even know where mine’s at!”
The Wounds
As our conversation continues and I get to see some of the wounds of their hearts, I am struck again by how even in these boys young ages they see and recognize how being fatherless has affected them. In our society today I would think that we completely write off the young people that are growing up behind us. I think because we see how social media has invaded and rules the lives of young people, that somehow we’ve bought into the lie that they are empty-minded and have no idea whats going on in the real world. We probably think that they only thing that they are aware of is Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
The Statistics
After the convo on Tuesday night, I can again say that perception is a lie. We all know the statistics that come from fatherlessness. Many of us have lived in the same situation and are having to still deal with the wounds from our childhood still today. We know that jails are filled with fatherless men and women. We know that fatherlessness affects children's ability to learn and can cause developmental problems. We know that girls who are fatherless are four times more likely to get pregnant as a teen. We know the stats. Some of us aren’t even comfortable with saying the word “father” or “daddy” because we know the stats so well!
A Father to the Fatherless
Well these teenage boys in my car on this night and the many other teenagers across this country know and realize it too. They see the struggles that their moms are going through. They know that their moms aren’t perfect but they say “at least she’s there!” Simply put they see! They aren’t blind. They aren’t unaware. They aren’t stupid. So why do I write this post? Well I think God knew what he was saying when he said that he was a father to the fatherless. Even as I sit here and think about all these facts and look at the countless teens in my neighborhood who live without fathers, I see hope. I see hope because I know who my God is. In John 1 it states, “the light shines in darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it.” That verse alone reminds me of hope and reminds me of who Jesus is. Fatherlessness is a darkness that has plagued us for years and years, but again the darkness does not extinguish the light. My God who overcame sin and death can surely overcome this. I can’t wait to see the day that he gets his glory from the young men who learn to follow him and through that learn how to be good fathers and mentors. I can’t wait to see him receive his full reward. As for the teens that I get to do life with and get inspired by, I pray that they will not only see Jesus as a savior but as the good, good father he is. He is hope.
- Josh Chambers, Hilltop Outreach Director