THE FATHERLESS FACTOR
The nucleus of families has disintegrated with the absence of fathers into destructive and detrimental fragments; leaving a generation to sail the waves of life without provision, protection, or direction. This fatherless factor has disrupted the foundation of families in society today like in no other generation.
This is not just facts but a very personal piece of my story. My father drowned when I was 3 years old. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t miss him — the presence of a father is priceless. The fatherless problem is evident in society, I could share a whole list of statistics
, but here is a quick snapshot of the effects of fatherlessness:
- 90% of all homeless and runaway children grew up without a father.
- 85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes.
- 85% of all rapists motivated by displaced anger are from fatherless homes.
- 71% of all high school dropouts come from homes without a father.
Beyond the shocking statistics is the sobering reality that this generation's fathers have not died from war, but have chosen to remain absent from the home. So, how do we confront the fatherless crisis and overcome the scheme of the enemy?
His tactics are obvious — to take out a generation of men from living in the fullness of their identity and destroy the foundation of the family. Yet, I’d propose we are on the cusp of one of the greatest reformations of family; where the hearts of fathers return back to their children and the hearts of children turn back to their fathers (Malachi 4:6).
So, what is our role? How do we play a part in fathering a fatherless generation?
In this week’s episode of Cultural Catalysts, I sat down for a conversation about the effects of fatherlessness with Seth Dahl
who is a family health strategist, worldwide speaker, and author. This profound conversation filled me with hope and renewed vision to see a generation living in the fullness of their identity and restored to the heart of their father. Seth made a remarkable statement while we were talking; he said, “We have a society that is broken by orphanness that when a real father shows up in their life they are triggered and cannot receive what a father has to offer. The answer is not to prove to them their need for a father, but to ask them questions to help them see a different perspective and dismantle any lies that they have believed.”
IMPACTING A FATHERLESS GENERATION
IT'S NOT THE END OF THE STORY
I hope as you watch this episode you are reminded that the battles that our children and this generation face are often the very training ground for the areas of their life they will dismantle and have authority over. Consider the life of Moses when he was born in a time when his generation was under attack; his mother placed him in a basket just for the enemy to pick him up and raise him in the enemy's home. But, the story wasn’t over there; he became the one to single-handedly overthrow the kingdom that had raised him. It is time that we start praying for a burning bush in this generation, for men and women to have encounters with the Father that change the course of history, restore families, and bring Heaven to earth.
