Still His Son: Lost, Found, and Forever Changed by God’s LoveSample

Fatherless Doesn’t Mean Hopeless

Joshua never really had a dad—not in the way that mattered. His father was violent and unpredictable. He watched his mom get abused and carried those wounds into adulthood, even after his father was gone. Joshua grew up believing he had to be tough, stay numb, and survive. But inside, he was aching for something more—for someone to show him who he really was.

That’s the thing about fatherlessness—it doesn’t just hurt in the past. It lingers. It follows you into relationships, into manhood, into moments where you wonder if you're enough… or if you're just destined to repeat what you came from.

Joshua’s story could’ve ended in that cycle, but it didn’t. Somewhere along the way, he encountered a God who didn’t use power to control but to protect. A Father who didn’t leave, didn’t wound, didn’t abandon. One who stayed. Who healed. Who adopted him as His own.

Joshua found out that even if your earthly father never showed you who you were, your Heavenly Father will.

And that’s true for you, too.

You might not have a dad who taught you how to be a man.
You might carry hurt from a father who left or never loved you the way you needed.
Your story doesn’t have to end in that pain.

You were chosen. You are wanted. You are not the end of a broken bloodline.
You are still His son.

Reflection Questions:

1. How has your relationship (or absence of relationship) with your earthly father shaped you?
2. What would it look like to let God father you in the places your dad couldn’t?

Prayer:

Abba, I don’t really know how to be fathered, but I want to know You—not as a distant God, but as my Father. Heal the places where I’ve been wounded by absence, silence, or pain. Help me believe that I’m not unwanted. I’m chosen. I’m Yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.