"Prayer for Arthur [Alex]"
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee -- and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the weakness of true strength.
Then I, his father [mother], will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee -- and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the weakness of true strength.
Then I, his father [mother], will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."
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Some of these words are hard to pray - particularly the part about leading him not in the path of ease and comfort but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.It was at this point that I realized I needed an accompanying prayer for myself that says, "Lord, let me be the kind of parent who does not jump in and save my son everytime life presents a challenge. Help me be the kind of encourager he needs to help him rise above his circumstances. Give me the wisdom to know when to step in and when to step away so that You can mold him into the kind of man who is strong, courageous and who has the confidence to know that he can face anything in life so long as he looks to You. Amen."
5 comments:
I do really love that poem. It's not easy to pray for all of those things for our children but if we all had that hope and prayer what a better place this world would be. My sister framed it and it looks beautiful in Alex's room. I'd like to do the same.
I've been reading about writing your own special prayer for your child and saying it over them daily. I've been thinking about that some too... One that I would use all of their lives. I just need to take the time to do it!
I loved that prayer when Dana posted it and no less now... I think your addition is wonderful. Great photo of you two. XOXOXOX
What an inspiring prayer and such a perfect addition to a sweet boy's room! I can't wait to see how it turns out. I love that you are so wise and thoughtful in the prayers that you surround yourself and your son with. Sometimes I get so caught up in the day-to-day that I completely overlook the importance of these prayers for our children. Thanks for reminding me!
This really is a great prayer! I agree with Lauri- sometimes I get so caught up in the day to day things that it's easy to forget to stop and remind myself of the things this prayer prays for. It is a fine balance of parenting our children and molding them into the men/women we want them to be but also stepping back and letting God do his work as well. But I do think that God gives us the wisdom and the insight to parent and mold our children as he would! Can't wait to see how you print, frame and hang this prayer. You might have to do one (or two) for me too! :)
What a wonderful prayer to have in your little man's room.......
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