I’ve been thinking about how much “fatherlessness” plays into orphaned thinking. When I say “fatherlessness” I’m not saying we don’t have a father, but rather we had fathers who were absent, unloving, or just too busy. As a result, we have a generation crying out for the love of a father.

A father’s love and approval means so much to us. Orphan-hearted people are like little kids playing and saying, “Look at me, daddy!”, but they are adults still looking for that approval. Since they don’t have a father to give them the approval their hearts crave, they go through life doing everything they can to be noticed. They feel the pressure to be perfect, so that they will be accepted. They feel that if they don’t perform perfectly, then they won’t be noticed, respected, or valued. When no one seems to notice, they retreat back into themselves. They come out once in awhile – only to be disappointed again. The orphaned heart just wants to be celebrated as someone who is significant…someone who matters.

The hurts of a fatherless generation are many, and they affect so many of our choices. The only answer for a fatherless generation – a generation of men and women who are emotional orphans, who can’t connect with the world – is the love of our heavenly Father. His love is an unconditional love, not based on our performance. He loves us just as we are, imperfections and all. We have His undivided attention, every moment of every day. His love for us is just the same on our worst day as it is on our best day. Thank you, Father God, for loving this orphan.