(By Joseph Mattera) There is a dearth of fatherlessness in the world and in the church today. The emotional and spiritual effects of this have been nothing less than catastrophic! The following are some of the symptoms of fatherlessness. (This can be applied to both natural and spiritual fathers.)
I. There is an insecurity and/or a sense of inferiority because of neglect, lack of affirmation, or abandonment
Some men continually walk around with insecurities that negatively impact the way they relate in business, ministry, and marriage. They never fully trust their abilities and hence, they don’t always trust others around them to do the right thing towards them. This sense of inferiority causes them to try to hide their low self-esteem by projecting a machismo persona full of confidence, but inside their souls they are always afraid.
II. There is a fierce independence because of a lack of trust of all authority figures
Some men who have experienced fatherlessness have a hard time inwardly submitting to any form of spiritual authority, even if they outwardly attempt to do so. They mostly make their own decisions without getting real counsel, and if they do get counsel, they will ultimately do what they want anyway because they don’t believe anyone fully looks out for their interests.
III. There is a great competitive drive due to comparisons with other men
Some men’s insecurities result in them constantly comparing themselves with other men. If they are ministers, they compare themselves with fellow ministers in their region. They are always trying to out-do other men as if ministry were a sport. For example, I know some ministers who, when talking about themselves or their ministries, constantly make statements like “our church is growing in record numbers,” or “we have the largest pastoral group in the city” or “we are the church called of God to reach the city.” They use competitive language with a super-spiritual religious tinge, but it is merely fleshly competition that is not purely motivated by a leading of the Lord. CONTINUE
