Our Fathers Are Human Too

I watched Deliver Me from Nowhere — Bruce Springsteen’s story — and, as a music lover who enjoys artists’ backstories, I had no idea it would hit so close to home. The film shows how a father’s demons and struggles can leave a child paralyzed if they aren’t addressed. As talented as Bruce was, he was lost in his journey, unable to release what held him back from truly thriving. Much of his pain traced back to his father; both shared a pattern of depression, but that was only a symptom. Blind to his own trauma, Bruce had to pick up the pieces even as his career was taking off.

One scene near the end gripped me. Finally in a safe space, he broke down after a therapist asked, “Why are you here?” A smirk turned into an uncontrollable sob. Years of trauma, hurt, rejection, and watching his father suffer in silence had left him emotionally absent — watching life unfold rather than living in it.

His father’s struggles made him a shell. He couldn’t truly connect with his son, trapped in a cycle of work, providing, and returning home with just enough energy to go through the motions. After a concert, Bruce’s father asked to see him privately. Sitting together, his dad surprised him: “Come here, son. Sit on my lap.” Bruce hesitated but then, like a little boy, sat down. They shared a laugh, and his father told him he was proud. In that moment Bruce reverted to the child he’d been, and they shared something they never had before.

Listen, it’s never too late to be present. Even if life has seemed to drift away, the small, honest moments of presence are what our children will carry with them. Luke 15:20 reminds me of this mercy and restoration: the father sees the son from afar, runs to him, embraces him, and kisses him — a powerful reminder that healing and connection are possible, and that showing up matters and it's never too late.

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