Young men
Where do we start? Boys, young men, our future—they are taking their own lives at an ever increasing rate. A seventeen year-old athlete with a scholarship to Georgia Tech stepped in front of an oncoming train to end his life last week. A boy with a future, but burdened by his family’s circumstances. The mass murders in our nation are by young men.
I submit that many are void of a positive male role model to emulate. For instance, it is reported that the majority of the 2019 mass shootings were young adult males with no father in their lives. And look at public schools; most teachers are female, and where these guys are spending the majority of their day, very little male contact or leadership. Ten years ago when I wrote From Faith to Faith on fatherhood, no one had heard of the terms—gender identity, gender confusion.
The absentee father
My friends, we should treat those who are suffering and those who have been harmed. But, if we are going to return to a sane society, we must address the root cause—the absentee father. (Physically, emotionally and spiritually) Boys, and girls, should be shaped by both a mother and a father. God designed it that way for families to prosper. Abiding Fathers has been given the mandate to be an instrument of God to fulfill Malachi 4.6a. “And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.”
And the sobering next part of the verse shows us just how important it is for us, and how serious it is to God. “Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (vs. 6b). His patience will not endure forever—it didn’t with Israel and it won’t with America. My fear is that many of us will not act until it touches our lives directly in some way. So, what do I do, Bill?
What do I do?
· Be present, observant, prayerful, engaged in your family.
· If you are without children or are an empty nester, pray that God will lead some young person or family into your life to love and disciple.
· Support ministries like Abiding Fathers with your time, talent and treasure.
Together, let’s leave a legacy in line with the Malachi 6a verse. Our children and grandchildren are counting on me, you, us!! No better time to start than TODAY!
