While unwinding to music on a direct flight from London to Singapore, I came across a track titled “Father Figure.” The title alone stirred something deep within me – tugging at old, emotional threads tied to a heart-wrenching memory: a poignant conversation between a mother and her young son about the quiet pain of growing up with a “fatherless figure.” That moment resurfaced vividly, prompting me to reflect on two flashbacks etched in memory – this being the first.
Children often carry unspoken thoughts – subtle, tender and easily missed. Some are brushed aside by distracted adults; others are left unsaid because children simply don’t have the words yet to express themselves. One evening, during their usual bedtime routine, his little voice broke the stillness of the night that caught his mother off guard. His tone was casual at first, sharing stories about his two best friends. One had gone to the movies with his father – just the two of them, a special father-and-son outing. The other often went on food adventures with his dad and their whole family.
Beneath the simplicity of his words, his mother could sense the unspoken weight – a quiet longing, perhaps even a silent ache. Sometimes, it’s what children don’t say that reveals the deepest parts of their hearts. Then, in a softer, almost broken tone, he quietly concluded, “I’ll never have a father-and-son moment.” The words hung in the air, fragile yet heavy. The look in his eyes and the weight in his voice revealed a deep longing – a quiet yearning to experience the kind of special, endearing bond he had only seen in others.
The hope he had faded into emptiness. His heart, once full of longing settled into resignation. And in that tender moment, his mother saw what no parent ever wants to face: her son had accepted what no child should – that the moment he longed for would never come. Her heart broke with his. For a moment, she was at a loss for words. Then, a quiet thought stirred within – perhaps whispered by the Holy Spirit. She leaned in and said gently, “No, son… one day, you’ll have your father-and-son moment – you as the father with your son.” She wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say, but somehow it brought a soft comfort. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and he nodded slowly, as if God’s presence had wrapped itself around that fragile hope.
The lack of an involved father left a void in his life – depriving him of the steady presence a father figure brings. Yet remarkably, he never harboured resentment. Instead of envy toward his friends with loving, involved dads, he felt genuine joy for them. What a sweet and gracious spirit he carried – one shaped not by bitterness, but by quiet strength and tender resilience. For those navigating the challenges of separated families and longing for deeper connection, may this truth bring comfort: God is the constant Father who loves unconditionally, walks closely and fills every void with His unfailing presence. Where human love falls short, His love never fails. Where earthly fathers may be absent or distant, God remains ever near. He sees. He knows. He fills the gaps no earthly father ever could.
Years passed. The little boy grew up. And true to his words, that special moment with his father never came. Not even after his mother tried to bridge the gap by sharing that quiet conversation with his father. She knew her son didn’t need much – just one moment. Just once would have been enough to last a lifetime. But life doesn’t always give us what we long for. Still, by God’s mercy, healing came. Before his father went home to the Lord, he found closure – not in what was lost, but in something far greater: forgiveness, acceptance and peace. Only God can heal so deeply. To Him be the glory, for He redeems what we cannot restore.
Today, he is happily married. And though he has not yet become a father himself, the question still lingers – Will he have that father-and-son moment, this time as the father? That remains to be seen. But perhaps the most beautiful moments are the ones yet to come – written not by our past, but by the hand of a faithful God in His time and in His way. As Joel 2:25 reminds us: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…” With God, even unfulfilled dreams are never wasted for He restores, redeems and brings beauty out of brokenness.
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