Press Room

A Word From Base Camp: Forgiveness

10.06.2009
By John Smithbaker

FORGIVENESS: It is at the heart of Fathers in the Field. Without it, there is no hope for the lost. Without it, fatherless boys cannot find true freedom - freedom from the destructive, anger-filled behavior that results from the abandonment wound. The Lord convicted me of this truth when He brought me to my knees some years ago and I asked for His forgiveness. When He extended His grace to me, He spoke to my heart and asked me to do the unthinkable-extend forgiveness to my earthly father for abandoning me and my sister. My Heavenly Father knew that this was the "thing" that I swore to myself that I would never do...but the very thing that I needed to do to experience full freedom in Christ. Through the gift of God's forgiveness and salvation, my spiritual wounds were healed. Now it was time to tend to the festering wound of abandonment in my heart which would only be healed when I forgave my dad. So, I wrote a letter to my father and my healing journey began.

I am so honored to share the journey with you through the ministry of Fathers in the Field, and our inaugural issue of FIELD NOTES. With this newsletter, it is my desire to give you an opportunity to rejoice with us in God's blessings and in the fruit of the labor. I pray that the stories of life change recounted in A Healing Journey will touch your heart, and that the commitment to the kingdom seen in Hero Highlights will inspire you. Above all, it is my heartfelt hope that you will be encouraged and emboldened to respond to God's mandate to defend the cause of the fatherless. If we don't, no one else will.

The father abandonment wound is the deepest of wounds, yet our society responds to an abandoned boy's cries with silence or, worse yet, by telling him, "Get over it. You don't need a father." Nothing could be further from the truth. We need to be telling boys, "What your father did was terribly wrong...it will matter greatly in your life...but you must, with Jesus' help, forgive your earthly father." When a boy hears this counter-cultural message, his first response may be, "Never! Why should I forgive him?" It is the answer to this question that sets Fathers in the Field apart from other mentoring programs. To a hurting young boy we say: "Forgive your dad, because your Father in Heaven forgives you, loves you, and wants you to know freedom like you've never known before." Praise the Lord!

We have so much to praise the Lord for. In January 2009, Fathers in the Field went national and God has blessed us beyond our dreams. Every month, new churches are joining our effort to father the fatherless - which means, more fatherless boys are being rescued. This month, just to name a few, we would like to welcome: The Church of the Apostles and Lanier Hills in Atlanta, GA; Crossgates Baptist in Brandon, MS; New Hope Bible in Belgrade, MT; Cheyenne E. Free in Cheyenne, WY; and Village Seven Presbyterian in Colorado Springs, CO. Additionally, Fathers in the Field is generating some incredible buzz with national and local media. Be sure to check out our feature article in Significant Living magazine. And in case you missed it, local newspapers all over the Rocky Mountain region ran our Opinion Editorial for Father's Day. Just before Father's Day, we were thrilled to be among the first organizations featured in the new blog for Purpose Driven Life: Purpose Driven Connection. And, the radio waves have also been buzzing with Fathers in the Field. In the past few months, several national networks including USA, Salem Radio Network, and Focus on the Family have broadcast interviews about Fathers in the Field.

All of this media attention confirms something I've known since the Lord put this ministry on my heart - Fathers in the Field has a compelling story to tell. When media hear about our counter-cultural message that the abandonment wound is healed through forgiveness of the earthly father, they want to learn more. While every fatherless boy has his own, unique story to tell, I am convinced that every story can have a common, Grace-filled end...through forgiveness in Christ.

I want to personally thank you for being a part of the Fathers in the Field story. With your help, we can ensure that abandoned boys across the country have their own joyous ending to tell. Please continue to pray for courage and boldness for Scott and me as we seek our Father's will in responding to the cries of fatherlessness. Please continue to share the ministry with your friends, colleagues and community churches. We all need to raise the awareness of the pain and damaging effects of a father not being in the home. And, we all must act.

Rejoicing in His forgiveness,

John Smithbaker