Ok, this is a tough one...simply because of the emotions that want to surface when it comes to this subject. This phrase which I think is right on target: "The fatherless...they find their...rest.
That particular word "rest" linked to the fatherless...describes exactly the feelings of a "lost child". Although I had a wonderful Grandfather that gave me much support, my own father left our home at a very early age...and came in and out of my life the best he knew how. He had his own set of problems...and thought the only way to escape his personal tragedies in life was..."drink the pain away"...like many of us at one time or another.
Studies indicate that from 1960 to 1990, children living apart from their fathers doubled...from 17% to 36%. By 2000, 50% of American children go to sleep each night without a "good night" from their...Dad. Today, the percentages continue to climb...up over 60%. At my own work the other day, I overheard two young guys speaking to one another about families, and the one guy was in a "state of shock". He said to his friend: "No Way....your real father still lives with you and your Mom?"
The "fatherless syndrome" is not new to society. In fact, it was even more common in ancient times, but, the similarities stop there. In times past, the primary reason for children growing up fatherless was death...the father had passed for one reason or another. In today's society, the primary reason for children being fatherless is due to desertion, abandonment, or out-of-wedlock births that the male simply does not want to "own up to".
In some social science research, it has been found children struggle immensely from the loss of a father due to abandonment...much more than a death of a father.
It has the same reaction as a divorce at times. In a death, there is a definite finality...the person is no longer here to make choices in life. In a divorce, the person is still quite alive, but has chosen to "move on"...and simply abandon his own.
Lawrence Stone, a noted Princeton family historian, issued a statement in reference to how in today's society the death rate among fathers have slowed down dramatically, yet the divorce rate that allows men to abandon their own children has simply...skyrocketed.
He writes: " The scale of marital breakdown in the West since 1960 has simply no historical precedence that I know of, it is unique to itself and it appears there has been nothing like it...for over 2000 years."
David Popenoe, in his book: " Life Without Father" wrote: "Growing up without a father may be a root to the cause of many social ills today...from crime to academic failure."
Honestly, there are so many stats, consequences, and general info on the "fatherless" on the "web", you could easily devote your life to this "living cause". I totally honor and respect those who are out there even now reaching out to children...the fatherless...of our generation.
The phrase in this song...At the Sound of His Name...strikes a cry from the "Heart of the Fatherless"...an ache...a pain....from the hurt and the unrest within.
A couple of Gleanings from the Sacred Scripture goes like this:
James 1:27: " Pure and gentle religion...the real thing...stemming from a true relationship with the Master Himself...not from following a set of laws or honoring a particular code...is this: We need to be visiting and helping and caring for the orphans and the widows in their daily distresses in life, and to be doing so from pure motives...not from sensual or selfish desires."
Psalm 82:3-4: " You got to stand up for the weak...and the fatherless. Don't turn your head to those you see with your very own eyes that are helpless and destitute.
Your "job" is to assist in rescue when you encounter situations like this, and do your utmost to aid them however you can...against the powerful hands of a ruthless and heartless people."
The Fatherless...find their Rest...at the Sound of His Great Name
That particular word "rest" linked to the fatherless...describes exactly the feelings of a "lost child". Although I had a wonderful Grandfather that gave me much support, my own father left our home at a very early age...and came in and out of my life the best he knew how. He had his own set of problems...and thought the only way to escape his personal tragedies in life was..."drink the pain away"...like many of us at one time or another.
The "fatherless syndrome" is not new to society. In fact, it was even more common in ancient times, but, the similarities stop there. In times past, the primary reason for children growing up fatherless was death...the father had passed for one reason or another. In today's society, the primary reason for children being fatherless is due to desertion, abandonment, or out-of-wedlock births that the male simply does not want to "own up to".
In some social science research, it has been found children struggle immensely from the loss of a father due to abandonment...much more than a death of a father.
It has the same reaction as a divorce at times. In a death, there is a definite finality...the person is no longer here to make choices in life. In a divorce, the person is still quite alive, but has chosen to "move on"...and simply abandon his own.
He writes: " The scale of marital breakdown in the West since 1960 has simply no historical precedence that I know of, it is unique to itself and it appears there has been nothing like it...for over 2000 years."
David Popenoe, in his book: " Life Without Father" wrote: "Growing up without a father may be a root to the cause of many social ills today...from crime to academic failure."
Honestly, there are so many stats, consequences, and general info on the "fatherless" on the "web", you could easily devote your life to this "living cause". I totally honor and respect those who are out there even now reaching out to children...the fatherless...of our generation.
The phrase in this song...At the Sound of His Name...strikes a cry from the "Heart of the Fatherless"...an ache...a pain....from the hurt and the unrest within.
A couple of Gleanings from the Sacred Scripture goes like this:
James 1:27: " Pure and gentle religion...the real thing...stemming from a true relationship with the Master Himself...not from following a set of laws or honoring a particular code...is this: We need to be visiting and helping and caring for the orphans and the widows in their daily distresses in life, and to be doing so from pure motives...not from sensual or selfish desires."
Psalm 82:3-4: " You got to stand up for the weak...and the fatherless. Don't turn your head to those you see with your very own eyes that are helpless and destitute.
Your "job" is to assist in rescue when you encounter situations like this, and do your utmost to aid them however you can...against the powerful hands of a ruthless and heartless people."
The Fatherless...find their Rest...at the Sound of His Great Name
No comments:
Post a Comment