“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” Psalm 37:5-6 (ESV)
Helping to heal the abandonment wound in a fatherless boy is not an easy task.
Over the past eight years, Matt Wilson has blessed three fatherless boys by stepping into their lives as a Mentor Father. As a public school teacher, he sees the daily struggles fatherless boys face; one of the major struggles is not seeing their true worth and value. Matt says it best:
“Young men need to know that their lives have meaning and purpose. This is a gift given from a father to a son. This is one of the reasons why Fathers in the Field is so important. It equips a man to demonstrate to a boy that he matters.”
A young man learns that his life has meaning. He experiences this from the intentional investment of a godly man and learns about his value to a Heavenly Father.
A Mentor Father commits to his Field Buddy that he will do everything in his power to help in this healing process. For some boys this healing comes quickly and easily. Others struggle desperately through the hurt in their lives caused by their father abandoning them, with minimal results. In both these scenarios it is the commitment of the Mentor Father to his Field Buddy and to Christ that makes the greatest impact.
Mentor Father Victor Wyant exemplifies the commitment a man takes to invest in the life of one of these precious boys.
After finishing their intentional three-year commitment through Fathers in the Field Victor chose to obey the Great Commission by discipling Max. Victor sees the man God has intended Max to be and is not willing to give up until he becomes that man.
“Max was a very shy kid. When we signed that first-year commitment, I could barely get him to talk. He just looked at feet and mumbled. He was willing to hangout and honor his commitment, but he was so shy it was a challenge. After the first month he warmed up to me and by the end of that year he could talk to the other Mentor Fathers and Field Buddies.
“We served widows, went to Church, and fished together. I got a chance to see the man God wanted Max to be. Max has continued to struggle to see this man for himself. Where I see a young man made in the Image of God, Max sees an unlovable troublemaker who is going to continue to fail. It breaks my heart, because I know that isn’t who God has intended him to be.”
Many men would see this dichotomy and be discouraged, but not Victor. He continues to invest in this fatherless boy, trusting that God will continue to move in Max’s life.
A fatherless boy needs a man who will commit to walk through life with him, no matter what comes. To imitate Christ so this boy can see and experience the love of his Heavenly Father.
Our job is not to save these boys, but to be the faithful vessel through which God can heal them and bring them to salvation.
Victor understands this better than most men. His commitment to Christ is demonstrated in his love and commitment for Max. We need more men like Victor!
Join us in praying for the fatherless boys around the country. For Victor and Max, that God would help this precious boy come to know Christ and see the man God has created him to be.
Jesus is Lord,
Standing in the Gap,
John Smithbaker
Founding Servant
p: 1-844-472-4241 e: info@fathersinthefield.com
