Fathers today face many complex and difficult challenges. We give thanks today for fathers and pray that God will support them in the important role that is theirs.
One of the primary challenges that face fathers today is economic. Most families today rely on the mother and the father to work in order to meet their basic expenses. But fathers remain the principal source of support for most families and for many of them it is hard to earn the income necessary to support their families. Wages have been stagnant for years. The cost of living in this city is very high. As a result, economic difficulties can be a principal source of stress for many families. A second challenge that fathers face today is providing the appropriate discipline and structure that their children need in order to grow into responsible adulthood. When fathers have to work six, or even seven, days a week at long hours, they simply don’t have the time to connect with their children in the way that they need. As essential as every dollar truly is in today’s household, fathers need to give priority to making time to be with their children so that they can help them mature in a very challenging world. Finally, fathers face the challenge of fidelity to their wives. Infidelity is easy in our society. Physical relationships can easily be found, but internet pornography is also another form of infidelity that is a temptation for many men. In addition to making time to be with their children, fathers need to make time to be with their wives – to cultivate that deep intimacy in love that a marriage requires.
Does a father need to be ‘superman’ today to face all these challenges successfully? No. He simply needs to be a man of faith. He needs to have a living relationship with God through which he has a profound confidence in God’s presence with him and the desire of God to give him the strength that he needs in order to fulfill his role. Without God in his life, a father will not be able to meet the real challenges that he faces daily.
Please pray for all fathers today. Ask that God bless and strengthen them.