Psalm 27:10 (New Living Translation)
Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will hold me close
If you are like many Americans age 50 and under, there is a strong likelihood that you grew up in a home without a father. If you are of African American descent, it is even more likely.
What happened to cause an entire generation of black fathers to go M.I.A.? The reasons are a numerous as the missing men. But the question I have asked most often of the Lord is “Why?”. Why would a loving God allow so many children to go fatherless? I have never gotten an answer that settled all of my concerns. Whether a father is absent due to circumstances or personal choice matters little to the child left behind.
But I have learned and come to be convinced that the reason matters to God as much as the child left behind. I have experienced that whatever deficit human hands have crafted, God will fill with himself – if we allow him to do so. Growing in intimacy with him has allowed me to honor the good in people, while praying for the not-good. This includes my father.
During the course of my life, I have gone from adoring him, to loving him, to hating him, to pitying him, to loving him again. He is now home with the Lord. There are a lot of gaps in my memories of him. As much as his absence has affected my life, I have only gained victory by refusing to focus on the imperfect father who left me behind, and maintaining my focus on the perfect Father, who has sustained, groomed, nurtured, and cultivated me – everyday of my life. Because of his love, I am a woman with a heart to forgive and a purpose for living, both of which I freely share.
The Lord has held me close. And I am grateful.
Be blessed Family!
Written by Sheeri Mitchell for Elev8.com. Follow Sheeri On Twitter! or Visit her on Black Planet.
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