Looking for a Father

Thinking Scripturally While Reacting Culturally

I recently came across a video clip of one of the saddest segments in a TV show I think I have ever seen. It was a clip of a ten-year-old boy who had been causing problems at home, and was brought on a nationally televised talk show in an episode called “Boot Camp My Pre-teen.”

In the clip, a drill instructor confronts the child for his bad behavior, and says: “You’re not an adult until you’re eighteen. Do you want me to be your daddy for the next eight years, son,” to which the boy surprisingly answers, “yes Sir.” The shocked drill instructor then says: “You do?” Pausing to collect his thoughts as he looks across the crowd, the drill instructor then responds: “Why you want me to be your daddy?” Heart-wrenchingly, the boy with cracking voice then says: “I have no daddy.” The drill instructor then instinctively hugs the boy as both begin to cry, and then walks him off the stage in what has to be one of the most poignant moments I’ve ever seen in a television clip.

The lessons taken from this clip are numerous. The boy simply wanted a father, even if it meant living with this ultra strict drill instructor for the following eight years of his life. The clip is a sobering reminder of the importance of fathers in the home, and I encourage you to watch the clip, which can be found by searching “The Saddest Boy Ever” on YouTube. (See Below)

How many people find themselves acting out in life, making poor decisions, ruining relationships, hurting loved ones, and becoming addicted to sinful behaviors while searching for happiness and acceptance in all the wrong places? How many are like that young boy, acting out and seeking attention, when all they really want is a father who loves them, guides them, protects them, and cherishes them? How many people do not realize that, regardless of whether their earthly father was present or not, they have a Father in heaven Who has promised to always be there for them (Deu. 31:6; Isa. 41:10; Heb. 13:5-6)?  

Many wander aimlessly through life. Many, like Solomon, experiment in trying to find happiness in all of the wrong places, but find that all of these methods of producing happiness fall flat (See the book of Ecclesiastes). If only we would, like Solomon’s eventual conclusion, “fear God and keep His commandments,” (Ecc. 12:13), we would be much better off.

Let us remember the following facts: “For us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Cor. 8:6). What ever happened to the young boy from the “Boot Camp my Pre-teen” talk show episode? As far as I’m aware, there are no life updates available online. But let us hope that he found the Father.

Is your focus in life on “fearing God and keeping His commandments,” or will you (like Solomon) waste precious years pursuing things like pleasure, pride, power, and other pursuits? Pursue the Father instead.

With love always,

Chase

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Work Cited:

Patrick. “Saddest Boy Ever - The Jenny Jones Show.” YouTube, uploaded by Patrick Dec. 11, 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVXXDtWtHDY