A Fathers Prayer

The following piece was written by General Douglas McArthur. It is titled, "A Fathers Prayer." My sons know how much I love this work. It echoes the dream Janae and I had for our boys when we first held them as babies and looked into their trusting eyes.

Read this short work, and then look in the mirror and honestly evaluate how you have done; either you yourself as a grown man, or perhaps as a parent raising a child. Look at your strengths and weaknesses without having the filter of excuses on your lens. There are far too many people in the world today that hide their faults, misdeeds, and poor decisions behind excuses. People dishonor themselves with excuses. They mock loyalty with betrayal. They are bitter in victory and bitter in defeat.


A Father's Prayer

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 wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; 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 clean, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; 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 greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain".


Where is this kind of integrity today? Excuses are for wimps.

Be strong.