How To Be A Solution To The Fatherlessness Epidemic

What would the world look like if there was a movement of fathers who turned their hearts back toward their sons and poured into their manhood? Can you imagine the effect this would have on a generation? Men that know their identity and live in the fullness of their calling. The cracked foundation of masculinity becomes firm and the unstable beams stand secure because fathers returned home to provide security for their children and promote them into their destinies. I can only imagine the difference this would make in society. 

I know, the idea of solving the issue of the most fatherless generation in history feels daunting. This is an area I am extremely passionate about, but if I become too focused on my own ability to bring solutions, I can find myself incapacitated by the impossibilities. BUT, the good news is that it’s not in our own strength, but rather in the Lord’s strength that we will see the turning of a page for a whole generation. 

Men have lost touch with their calling, grappling to find their true identity but losing themselves in the weeds of the enemy's wicked tactics and nefarious nature. Statistics of children growing up in homes without direction and unfamiliar with the role of a father are disheartening. But, why have men abandoned the family ship? Is there something so appealing about the other type of life they could live? I’d propose that there is no true fulfillment outside of your God-given purpose. Rather, I think before there was a fatherless crisis there was a brotherhood deterioration — men starved from the “bonded in battle” relationships necessary for a man’s survival. There has been a lack of brotherhood that nourishes the soul of a man and reminds him of who he was created to be. 

I recently sat down for a conversation with Danny Silk to talk about the importance of restoring a generation of men. While we were talking Danny made an impactful statement “Men are not born into manhood, rather men learn how to be men from other men.” We need men to rise to the occasion and take responsibility for their part in teaching the next generation of men. It’s not a problem that we need to simply put a band-aid over and wait for the wound to heal. This damage is far greater than something Neosporin will fix. We need the Surgeon to perform surgery on the hearts of men to cut away the surface and get to the root of the problem; to call men forth and give them hope for their future. 

I want to be clear that if you have grown up in a home without a father or maybe you are a single mother raising sons and daughters without a present father, not all hope is lost. We have a Heavenly Father who is the Master of redeeming every area of our life that our earthly father has lacked in. Not even the most present well-meaning father does a perfectly impeccable job at leading his family; we all have faults. But, I do hope you are filled with hope to see a generation of men living in the fullness of their destiny.