Fathers

The family, as the basic building block of Moral Society, is under attack and is being successfully destroyed.

If you don't agree with this statement, you probably don't need to waste any more of your time reading this particular post. :)

This is something I've meditated on quite a bit in the last year. I have obvious personal interest in this subject, considering all we went through last fall. But I've come to some conclusions I'd like to share.

The Devil [Satan - yes, Old Scratch Himself] is attacking our families. [And if you don't believe the Devil is real, you probably also might not love this post LOL!] He has found a sure way to destabilize that unit that most helps us to be good, moral, and Holy individuals.

How is this, you say?

I have become convinced through the last year that destroying the family is the Devil's first priority, his most successful ploy in modern times, and he is doing this primarily through attacking Fathers.

Fathers are in crisis in our society. At worst, they are there being abusive or, often, aren't there at all. At best, they deal with a culture that devalues their role as Husbands, Fathers, and MEN and they struggle to be the Men they want to be. Pardon my choice of words, but modern culture Castrates men and tries to feminize them. It devalues their traditional roles as protectors and providers and heads of their households, and fails to give them any useful role in exchange.

Thus we have a whole generation of men who are just plain Lost in astounding numbers.

I am, fortunately, surrounded by strong Christian men. Every man we know and see on a regular basis has a strong Christian belief system to support him in his role as husband and father. Most of them are extremely committed to their wives and families and work very, very hard to be the Men God intends them to be.

In my personal biased opinion, I consider these men to be the "Cream of the Crop" and the most exceptional Men around at this time in history.

And yet... even among these Christian families we know, Satan is working his Evil with tremendous success.

Those of you who have been reading a while know this, but for those who may be "new" to my blog, let me share that last fall our family fell apart when my husband had a major mental health breakdown and abandoned the family for several months. We were extremely fortunate that his problems were medication related and once that harmful medication was discontinued, he reverted back to his normal wonderful self and came home... but the experience was, of course, completely devastating.

At the time this all happened, I was very open about it - I shared honestly with our friends and acquaintances. Partly that was because of who I am - I'm a "transparent" type person in general - but it was also unavoidable because of the way in which my husband left - it was a spectacular abandonment and there really was no way to hide it even if I had been so inclined. So, our tragedy became common knowledge to those around us, even though it was completely humiliating for me at the time. [Believe me when I say no woman wants to have the world know that the man she adores abandoned her with 5 children... LOL!]

There has been an interesting result from this though. Over the past 9 months, many women have come to me to talk to me confidentially about their own situations, seeking support and understanding [which I hope they have found in me]. I have discovered that my situation is more common BY FAR than any would believe possible - even in "very good" families. I've been approached by acquaintances and by total strangers who just "heard" about my situation through a friend of a friend.... I've had people send their own friends my way who needed to talk to someone who could understand. [Because if you have NOT experienced something like this, you really *can't* understand just how painful and devastating it is - though I still hope you would try. ;) ]

Usually when things like this happen, they aren't discussed. *Especially* if they involve mental illness - people want to hide it. But I don't think that is really helpful because it leaves those who ARE affected by it feeling like the only people in the world in such a situation [I know that is definitely how I felt at the time I went through this] and the truth is SO FAR from that - this is quite a common thing.

I have heard stories that could be my own the details are so similar. I've heard other stories of husbands abandoning their wives and children to run off with some wild woman they picked up. I've heard stories of men who seemed devoted and wonderful who just suddenly, inexplicably, decided that this wasn't what they wanted and they abandon wives and children just to walk away - to seek out something "different".

It is disturbing to me how common this is.

Satan is winning this battle for the Souls of our Men.

We need to pray for them - to pray for ALL fathers. Our Men are struggling in this culture - they struggle against pornography and immodesty and temptation every where they turn; against the Corporate culture that devalues their role in the family; against materialism that makes them always feel they aren't earning "enough" no matter how much they earn; against a culture at large that now views the hard working family man as "quaint" at best and ridiculous at worst.

There is another category of men who do everything "right" and still face terrible things - men who are hard working and can't seem to get a break in their career [or, worse yet, who are persecuted in their career in quiet and sneaky ways because of their religious beliefs]; men who are plagued with poor physical health and illness that cripples their ability to be the Men they want to be; and there are men who just seem to struggle against plain old bad luck despite their best efforts and good intentions.

These men may wake up every day determined to fight the good fight and to do the right thing, and MANY of them succeed. But it is not an easy fight, even for those who are winning. Satan is strong and our culture is SO steeped in Satan's values that this war rages without end and without mercy.

And children are the biggest casualties.

We are taught to call God "Father". It is a term that is meant to instill peace and love and a feeling of being Protected and Cherished in each and every one of us.

For too many children, the name "Father" comes to mean something altogether different.

If we lose the Fathers to Satan, too often the children follow. [Not always - certainly there are plenty of amazing mothers who hold their children dear and help them navigate these treacherous waters]. But losing a father is always damaging - ALWAYS. The best we mothers can do in that situation is try to minimize the devastation.

So, I ask all of you who read this blog, to please, please don't forget to pray for Fathers. For their strength and their perseverance in the Culture War they are so much a part of - though often unaware.

Make Sacrifices for them and do all you can to bolster and support the Good Men in your life who are trying so hard to do what is Right, instead of what is Easy.

And if you are a woman who is blessed with a man who is just perfect [in your eyes at least!], pray for him too. Don't think he is beyond Satan's reach - pray for him and sacrifice for him. 5 years ago I never would have dreamed of the tragedies that were about to reach our family - you are NEVER safe from Satan's grasp and your complacency can be a big advantage for Old Scratch.

Pray and Trust in God. There is where Hope lies.

And now, for something a bit lighter - if you need a laugh, check out:

Brad Paisley's "I'm Still A Guy"