A Fatherless Generation: All Kinds of Ugliness Will Likely Ensue
Can anyone deny there’s a fathering vacuum in our time which is unleashing devasting outcomes? And is God marshalling Kingdom Men to step up and meet the moment with Higher Design?
Downstream from quality fathering are gold, silver, and precious stones for the next generation to likely build a meaningful life. A beautiful life that lasts.
Downstream from inferior fathering or the absence of fathers is likely a life experience built from wood, hay, and stubble. A life that can go up in flames.
It feels like the world is on fire today. Consider the last words of the Old Covenant:
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:5-6 NKJV).
Heaven Is Calling Forth Fathering in the Earth
In the opening scene of the New Covenant, the archangel Gabriel appears to an old priest. Near the end of a childless lifetime, Zacharias would now parent a forerunner who would come in the spirit and power of Elijah.
His was a faltering faith ... and yet, God was calling forth fatherhood from an imperfect Zacharias. A fatherhood that would catalyze transformation.
Think of it, God dealt with Joseph as the earthly father of Jesus as well. To reflect on Joseph as the earthly father of the Son of God is profound and awe-inspiring. Jesus needed him.
Jesus is all about fathering. And he's calling forth fathering from us in our time.
God as Ultimate Father Is Revealed by Jesus
"No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us" (John 1:18 New Living Translation).
Even Jesus could not express his full destiny while on earth without the benediction (blessing) and initiation of the Father.
As he was baptized by John the Baptist, the forerunner, heaven opened over his life. The Holy Spirit came upon him as a dove, and the Father said, "This is My beloved, in whom I am well pleased."
Dallas Willard said, "The union Christ had with the Father was the greatest that we can conceive of in this life -- if indeed we can conceive of it."
Jesus wants the same for us as sons and daughters of God.
His prayer template for us is revolutionary. "Our Father who is in heaven ...." His Kingdom Teaching is brimming with the revelation of God as our True Father.
The Sheer Abhorrence of a Father Vacuum
It's thought that Aristotle taught that nature abhors a vacuum. The disconnect between fathers and their sons and daughters creates an empty space. Disorder and evil rush in.
Communities undervalue the essence and role of fathers to their own jeopardy -- the downstream effects are devastating. The peril which comes to our society is poisonous. It's truly a curse.
“The hardest, gladdest thing in the world is to cry Father! from a full heart . . . the refusal to look up to God as our father is the one central wrong in the whole human affair; the inability, the one central misery” (John Eldredge, Fathered by God).
Somehow we have to reconcile a neglected, orphaned generation to God as Father. Will we hear the call to manifest fathering to those who are fatherless?
Let’s Make This Official: What Do Fathers Do?
A young teenager can sire a child. An irresponsible man can impregnate a woman. But that's not fathering.
A spirit of true fathering can be restored by men in the Body of Christ.
Fathers impart security to the next generation -- it's the ultimate climate for growth. "I love you. I'm for you. You're safe here."
Fathers minister identity and purpose to a unique soul. "This is your name. I see this in you. I see you becoming this."
Fathers give -- the nature of love is to give. "For God so loved the world that He gave His Son: To the prodigal: "Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand." To the older son: "All that I have is yours."
Fathers bless a son or daughter, initiating them into adulthood. "I bless you and release you into your highest life under God."
Fathers do the hard coaching. "I won't let you settle. You're more than this. Optimize what you've been given. Be more. Do more. You're in it to win it."
Fathers are about significance and legacy. "It's not just about you. Look behind you -- you're a vital part of a legacy. Look in front of you -- I see you influencing those to come."
And of course, there's much more. Who can fully express the essence of what Fatherhood from Above is?
God Grit: Kingdom Men, "Step Up!"
Adoption is the essence of our very connection with God.
There are other ways we can "adopt" too.
We can provide a lead. Mentor. Coach. Pray. Teach. Show interest. Connect. Model. Rescue. Invest. Hire. Set them up for success. Speak over them. Renew their thinking. Offer a new lens to see fresh horizons. Praise them forward.
Get ready. They'll get tripped up. There will be some failure. Maybe stupid decisions. They will frustrate you and incite your anger. They may even strike out at you.
To be real, true fathers suffer. Consider Father God.
"Love suffers long ... is not provoked, thinks no evil ... bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails ..." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV).
The blessing flows via love and suffering. Surprisingly, that's where the deeper joy is at too.
Some have been stepping up. Well done. We need more. The generational need is massive.
C.S. Lewis said, "No good work is done anywhere without aid from the Father of Lights."
Father God, impart to us more of your fathering heart. Show us what it means. Resource us to bear the cost of it. Fill us with the joy of it. We resolve to align with you in this. We receive. Thank you. Let it be.
Brian Del Turco is happily married to Penelope and they are blessed with four daughters. He has a degree in Theological and Historical Studies and has also studied at the graduate level in Adult Education/Interdisciplinary Studies. Interests include well-being, writing, teaching, copywriting, working with authors, podcasting, new media, and quality coffee and conversation. Brian is the host of Jesus Smart: The Podcast and the owner of LifeVoice Quest, a business that advances the voice of authors through publishing, creating an online presence, and podcasting.
