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Unfortunately, fatherhood has been under attack in our culture for decades. In 1986, William Bennett wrote “Where are the fathers? . . . Generally, the mothers are there struggling. For nine out of ten children in single parent homes, the father is the one who isn’t there. One-fifth of all American children live in homes without fathers . . . Where are the fathers? Where are the men? Wherever they are, this much is clear: too many are not with their children.”1
That was 35 years ago. Things are worse today. Some estimate that half of children grow up without their fathers present.
What we need is to value fathers and fatherhood more. Imagine how different society would be if more children experienced the type of fathers that Paul Harvey wrote about in “What are Fathers Made of?” Here are a couple of things he wrote:
- “A father is a thing that is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic.”
- “A father is a thing that growls when it feels good–and laughs very loud when it’s scared half to death.”
- “Fathers are what give daughters away to other men who aren’t nearly good enough so they can have grandchildren who are smarter than anybody’s.”2
We need to go beyond Ephesians 6:2, which says, “Honor your father and mother.” We need to honor all fathers. Today, send an encouraging message to a good father you see.
- “Father,” Sermon Illustrations, http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/f/father.htm, quoting J. Dobson and G. Bauer, Children at Risk, Word, 1990, p. 167.
- “Father,” Sermon Illustrations, http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/f/father.htm, quoting Paul Harvey.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.