My students and I conducted a study at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) that examined the effects of father involvement on psychosocial development. Our participants were male and female college students attending MTSU. This study found that emerging adults were more likely to have a deficit in “Hope/Faith” and “Willpower” if they do not have a father figure in their lives when compared to those emerging adults who have a father figure (biological, non-biological, positive, or negative). Participants with a positive biological father scored the highest on hope, faith, and willpower. Participants with no father figure scored lower on hope, faith, and willpower than any other fathering type.
One thing this means is that God knows what is best for us and without God’s best there are negative consequences. God knows what some of us do not understand or at most, do not do anything to avoid or correct in our society today? He knows that fathers are important. He knows that not having a father in our lives can leave us with a deficit.
In our society we tend to glorify and even deem to be healthy different family structures that fly in the face of God’s design and scientific research. Why do we do this? The fact is that we want to honor our “experiences” more than we want to honor God and His Truth. No doubt, we experience different types of families and see our loved ones and even strangers experience different types of families. Then we look at ourselves and sometimes others and say, “I turned out okay” or “They turned out okay”. The question is: “Did you or they really turnout okay?” and “Did you or they receive God’s best?” because God Himself says (which is enough said) and research supports that most people did not, do not and will not receive what is best if they are fatherless.
This is why God tells us to be fathers and agents of goodwill to the fatherless (Exodus 22:22, Psalm 82:3, Psalm 146:9, Isaiah 1:17, James 1:27). Yes, He could do this on His own and sometimes He does but I believe He prefers to do it through His people (i.e. the Body of Christ). Therefore, we can understand why having a father in our lives has shown to be what is best for us as opposed to no father figure at all.
A lack of hope and faith brought into a broken world will negatively affect a person’s ability to persevere which is an important part of salvation. This can lead a person to not have confidence that his environment or to not have confidence that his abilities can influence his environment. The person may take this lack of hope and faith into their intimate relationships, their social non-intimate relationships, and even their relationship or lack of a relationship with Christ. Jesus talks about that lack of faith in Matthew 6:30. Further results of this deficit is frustration, anxiety, suspension, withdrawal, and various insecurities. These results make sense when we look at the wisdom of Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life”. However, James 1:12 shows us, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
So, the lack of hope and faith can be devastating to our lives and even our salvation but the opposite of this lack of hope and faith results in peacefulness, patience, approachableness, and perseverance. Scripture shows us the positive consequences of these characteristics in Romans 8:25. Other positive consequences of hope and faith are “work” and “endurance” that God shows us in I Thessalonians 1:3. This faith and hope is the ultimate faith and hope that we strive to develop and we understand that anything that has the potential to interfere with this development is a stumbling block, including the absence of a father figure.
The absence of a father figure frequently leads to a child having a deficit in willpower as well (Teague, 2023). This lack of willpower is a result of an unhealthy increase of shame or doubt in the child during early years of development. It causes the person, as a child and as an adult, to ask the question: “Is it okay to be me”. At its extreme expression this question can lead to self-hatred. This question can be linked to the transgender desires in our society today. It also causes the person to feel inadequate in their ability to endure and handle problems, which then leads the person to become overly dependent upon others. A lack of self-esteem or a false sense of self-esteem may emerge. This is a dangerous disposition for any of us to experience. James 1:12 shows us why this is dangerous. The lack of willpower interferes with us withstanding life’s different tests and embracing different responsibilities. We may frequently look to others to withstand our tests and embrace our responsibilities. This can explain the increase in the sense of entitlement in different areas and individuals in our “modern” America. We do not consider these tests and responsibilities to be challenges that could bring us joy in the end. The truth in James 1:2-4 teaches us different. So, when life tests the things that most people are lacking due to lacking a father figure, it will more than likely find them immature and incomplete in these areas (Teague, 2023). Even in these circumstances, if we embrace God and welcome His Spirit, He will remove that sense of doubt and give us willpower, which is what we are taught in 2 Timothy 1:7.
The opposite of the lack of willpower is confidence, certainty, interdependence, and self-discipline. These gifts from God and His design promotes growth in many other areas when we make the effort as we learn in 2 Peter 1:5-7.
Dr. C.M. Teague, PhD, LPC, MHSP, Department of Psychology, Faculty Member, Lecturer – Middle Tennessee State University – [email protected]
