Raising David is a blog for single mothers bringing up Godly young men. It is a resource for moms who are attempting to wade through the chaos of boyhood, with real-life advice on how to handle murky situations and tough or difficult questions.
What does it mean to Raise a David? There are many names that could be substituted into this question. What does it mean to raise a Joshua? A Moses? A Paul, Peter, or Daniel? Each of these men of the Bible chased after the will of the Lord and ended up developing into strong men of God. The point of the question isn’t about the actual person being named, but rather what that person represents. How does a parent raise a man of God?
Unfortunately our society doesn’t tend to care much about the younger generation’s character development or spiritual health. Life goes so fast, it’s like we’re forced to just push our kids through the meat grinder so they can get jobs, pay taxes, and be utterly consumed by entertainment. As time goes on, we see less and less Davids or Samuels, young men who sought the wisdom of the Lord from a young age and chose to follow Him. These were young men that were close enough to God to hear His voice and obey his commands, and their stories changed the course of history! They allowed their character to be shaped properly in their youth, and as they grew up, did incredible works for the Kingdom of God.
David slayed a giant as a boy at The Lord’s directive, then later grew into a mighty King who who exemplified Godly manhood. Samuel heard the calling of the Lord in a dream as a young boy and obeyed. Eventually he became the greatest of Israel’s Judges and a renown prophet of the Lord. The world today is desperate for men like David the King and Samuel the Judge. Society needs men who are compassionate and just protectors who understand how to lead. And filling that gap begins with us, with mom and dad!
The problem is that as of 2023, according to the Center for American Progress, 21% of all mothers in the U.S. are single parents. That’s 1 out of 5 moms in the entire country! And they are raising over 15.09 million children all on their own. That number is absolutely staggering. The U.S. has the highest rate of single-motherhood in the entire world. This means that a massive chunk of today’s kids are currently being raised with no father figure regularly in the home. In most cases, moms are attempting to not only be the sole bread-winner and nurturer, but also fill the role of dad. How can one person do all of that?!
Aside from the struggles a single mom faces, fatherlessness has a deeply profound effect on families. It changes everything from the family’s finances, to its spiritual health, to child development. When it comes to boys, having an absent father can completely change the way he interacts with the world. It can change the way he feels about himself and the choices he makes for himself as he grows. While mom can try to fill in the gaps, she’ll never be able to completely fill the role that God designed for a father. New studies are continually showing just how critical it is for a boy to have strong father figure in his life. Unfortunately, that’s just not possible in many cases.
So how can a single mom raise a David? Without a father in the picture, how can she raise up a healthy boy that seeks The Lord, who grows to be used by God mightily in manhood, and is also able to protect, serve, and lead his own family one day? Its a difficult task, but not impossible. Raising David is a blog for single mothers bringing up Godly young men. It is a resource for moms who are attempting to wade through the chaos of boyhood, with real-life advice on how to handle murky situations and tough or difficult questions. It offers wisdom to help boys develop “manly” skills, learn spiritual guidance, deflect worldly influence, and much more. This work is written from the perspective of a man raised by a single mother in a very dysfunctional home, then later introduced to Jesus Christ, now with boys of his own. Through this first hand experience, Raising David is able to provide a welcome look into the mind of a boy who has endured the hard stuff, and offer wisdom that helped him along his path to manhood. Our prayer is to see a generation of bold, healthy, and empowered God-fearing young men rise up to help bring Jesus’ kingdom to earth. And our mission is to help equip single moms with the necessary knowledge to propel their boys along this path.