Dad, there’s a kid who has a question for you. Just ask Jim.

Jim is a well-established anesthesiologist who went with a suburban church group to spend some time with inner-city children. He spent several hours playing catch, shooting baskets, and doing his best to just love them; he had a sincere desire to reach out and make a difference with those kids.

Toward the end of the day, when Jim had sat down to rest, a small child walked up and jumped right into his lap. Clearly, the boy had been watching Jim and had been waiting for just the right opportunity. Jim was a little stunned, but he held his composure.

Then the little boy tilted his head to the side and looked up at Jim, right in the eyes. The first words out of his mouth were, “Will you be my daddy? Will you be my daddy?”

Isn’t it interesting that a child only four years old had a keen awareness of his need. He jumped boldly at the opportunity to have a connection with a man who showed even a few hours of interest in his life.

What a great example of the desperate need for fathers and father figures. When we make ourselves available and—with love—reach out to the fatherless, they will be jumping in our laps. Maybe not literally, like this little boy, but figuratively in so many other ways. They know their need. They have a deep yearning for regular interaction with a father figure who will show interest in them.

Men, consider a boy or girl you already know who has no connection with a dad: a wide-eyed pre-schooler, a sad third-grader, maybe a hardened teenager. Even if you can’t hear them, they are no doubt saying, “Will you be my daddy?”