Fathers: The ‘Catalyst’ Designed To Launch You Into Your Destiny (Part I)

At the time of my penning this blog the nation was aroused and passionately engaged in a debate centering the recent showing of an episode from the larger than life reality show series, “Iyanla: Fix My Life“. This particular episode which featured fathers who had multiple children with a host of women was both mind-boggling and tragic all at once, and served to underscore the absolute need for the spotlight to continually be shed on the value and importance of fathers and fatherhood. It is clear that the XY sex chromosome combination found in humans, though it defines maleness, is certainly not the definitive indicator of a male’s propensity to successfully function in what I personally believe is the most pivotal role that can be held in any society.

The term “father” is an extremely powerful concept and though it has been subjected to systematic degradation, devaluing, dismantling, and reconstruction owing to a number of reasons, yet it continues to remain a fundamental component that is critical to our overall success. Many men have lost their understanding of what being a father means. They have instead, become expert sperm donors while continuing to negate the responsibility of seeding into their children’s lives on a daily basis.This fact continues to break my heart, not only because I have an understanding of the emotional and cognitive ramifications, but also the spiritual threat that this poses to any individual.

It is interesting to note that the concept of ‘father’ did not emerge out of the human being’s own limited creative capacity, nor was its construct, meaning, value, and purpose left up to our constantly transitioning ideals. Fathers, by design, have the primary responsibility of launching children into their destiny. Children who eventually become adults. There are many people who have had to pull themselves up by their boot-straps, who have gritted their teeth and eked out their own path to get to where they are in life. Although that is absolutely commendable and worth celebrating, I know if a poll were to be taken with these same individuals, we would discover that the process of getting ‘there’ had its toll and came with an extremely heavy price. Why? Simple. That was never how it was originally designed to be.

A catalyst is any substance that works to accelerate a chemical reaction, or a person or thing that precipitates an event. Without the help of a catalyst, chemical reactions or events might never occur or may take a significantly longer period of time to. When one is present, the activation energy and the length of time it takes for the process to occur is lowered, making the reaction or event happen more quickly and efficiently. God designed fathers to be the ones to help catalyze and facilitate the various processes in our lives. In concert with Him, fathers were put in place to ensure that the plans and purposes of God for their children’s lives would unfold and take full effect, in season and on time. Statistics have consistently shown the impact of fatherlessness in our nations and the toll it has taken on our families and societies.

In the Human’s Manual For Living (the Bible), it is demonstrated time and time again how the responsibility of speaking and activating blessings and positioning children towards their destinies, lies squarely in the hands of fathers. It was Abraham who arranged to secure a wife for his son Isaac. It was Isaac who pronounced and activated the blessing for prosperity over Jacob’s life. It was Jacob who spoke into the lives of his twelve sons, declaring what they would become and we can read of them following the spoken trajectory for their lives in totality. It was David who prepared for the establishment of his son’s throne by leaving a substantial legacy that made many of the things David could not accomplish in his life time an easy task during Solomon’s.

King Solomon in Proverbs 13:22 stated that, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, (whether of monetary value, material possession, moral stability, or goodness)”. It is the father who was designed to facilitate his children’s and even grand-children’s easy transition into the future. His input would bring clarity and make the process smoother. So powerful is the weight that rests upon fathers that God sternly warns in Exodus 20:5, that if a father defaults on his obligation and commitment to Him, the consequences of his sins and moral failures have the capacity of impacting even his great, great grand-children.

If you never grew up with a father, never had a real relationship with your father or a father-figure, were abandoned by your father, don’t know who or where your father is, had a father that ruined your family, or your father is dead, this message is for you. You first need to know that you have a Heavenly Father who cares very deeply about your well-being. It is so important that you get into right a relationship with Him and look to Him to accomplish in your life what your earthly father is unable or unwilling to do.

Secondly, a pastor is not only called to be your pastor but also serves in the capacity of a spiritual covering that is synonymous to that of a father. He has been given the ability to activate blessings and prosperity in your life, as well as to catalyze the process involved in launching you into your destiny. Your responsibility is to submit to him. I am amazed at how much my life has shifted over the past three years by virtue of the relationship of submission I have cultivated with my father in the faith, Dr. Pepe Ramnath. I have seen a multitude of doors open for me in several areas of my life, simply because of the relationship that I have forged with him.

To the fathers who are following through on their responsibilities, we honor you. For those who have failed and are failing, now is the time to assume your place. You are the catalyst that was designed to launch your children into their destinies.

Visit the Podcast Series tab or the Podbean Podcast page to access the associate podcast segment entitled, “Fathers: The ‘Catalyst’ Designed To Launch You Into Your Destiny (Part 1)”. Additional resources concerning fathers, fatherhood and fatherlessness may be found at the Fathers For Life website.