A Father's heart

As Rodney Dangerfield might have put it, fathers today "don't get any respect."  From Homer Simpson to the latest no-class sitcom, fathers are depicted as clueless buffoons at the mercy of a society that mocks them and a family that tolerates them (with some exasperation).

We've come a long way from Father Knows Best.  Even as recently as the Cosby Show there was a better example on the idiot box.  If life truly imitates art, it's no wonder our society is so dysfunctional.

Have we really lowered our expectations to the point it's assumed all husbands/fathers are overweight morons with no social skills other than to chase skirts?  It's long been known some of the more militant feminist types completely deny the necessity of fatherhood (other than the obvious initial donation toward conception, of course... asexual procreation still eludes their grasp...).  Funny how that denial persists in a supposedly 'scientific' society.  Some data points:

Massey University researchers report that 85 percent of children treated for behavioral disorders do not have a father in the home...

Years of fatherlessness are negatively related to education attainment, and for all races, the relationship is significant...

Children separated from their father are more likely to run away, suffer abuse, engage in crime, use illegal substances, and become teen parents.

This doesn't mean every child in a one-parent home is doomed... God's grace is limitless, and many are able to avoid these pitfalls.  But the reality is fathers have been handed an enormous responsibility by The Father.  They are to model Him, not as an authoritarian figure, but as a sacrificial leader who ensures not only the material provision of his family, but their spiritual well-being, too.  This is as far from the empty, self-serving stereotype in today's media as one can get.  Given the data above, the line of attack becomes clear: convincing even one generation of fathers to abandon their God-given roles results in severe damage to society, as their children and children's children follow their example.  Fortunately, there are some challenges to the prevailing media wisdom...

As for me, the cry of my heart is that of yesterday's Saturday Sounds:  "I want to be just like You, cuz he wants to be just like me."  I'm no more worthy of the responsibility of fatherhood than I am of salvation through Christ.  Thankfully, He sustains me in both ways.

Happy Father's Day, God!