Build Me A Son

I subscribe to different email devotions. I thought I'd share the one below. My thoughts are shared after the devotion...

BUILD ME A SON

The following prayer was written by General Douglas MacArthur:

"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....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.'"

Though most of us are not nearly so eloquent, I suspect that all
Christian parents have uttered a similar prayer. Mindful of the great
responsibility that God has given those of us with children, we pray
fervently that God would help us as we strive to train our children in the
ways of the Lord.

While still childless, Hannah made this vow to God: "O Lord of hosts,
if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember
me, and not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a male
child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life...." (I
Samuel 1:11). It was a vow she kept, and her son Samuel became one of the
greatest spiritual leaders Israel ever knew.

May Hannah's prayer and Gen MacArthur's prayer be the prayer of all
Christian parents this day.
-Alan Smith


God has blessed me with three girls and two boys. Being that this devotions was about boys, I'll keep to the topic of my boys.

I've said it over and over, how blessed I am. I'll never tire of saying it and I'll never stop believing it. I'm blessed in so many ways. One way I'm blessed, is to have the best husband in the world. I know we all feel "ours" is the best. In my heart I know he was meant for me. He was meant to be the father of my children. We are meant to grow old together.

The prayer above was written by General MacArthur, many years before I was born. When I read his prayer, my Knight came to mind. This is how I see him. He is all that, that prayers asks for and more. My heart's desire is for my Squires, my little boys to grow up and be the best "they" can be. Not that they have to "be" like their dad, but strive to be the best that "they" can be.

My Knight leads by example. He's a great role model. Not just for my boys but for those around him. He makes those around "want" to do better. He's a good leader with incredible character. God has blessed him and used him in mighty ways. God has brought him through storms. Like Job, he chooses to praise God and give Him all the glory. He continues to be challenged and stretched. Still he rises to the occasion. Reminds me of Matthew 25:14-29. I know it talks about "talents of money", but I believe it can also be applied to other areas of our lives, not just monetary.

One of my favorite quotes from Abraham Lincoln says, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. " I find this to be so true. Power does not corrupt, but the "love" of power does. My Knight is the head of our family, he is a leader in his work place, he is a leader at our church, he's a leader in our community.

My prayer for my boys are that they grow up to be the men that God intends for them to be. That they be men after God's own heart. I pray they walk the straight and narrow road and not deviate. I hope they keep their eyes focused on Him who went before them. When they stumble and fall, that they learn their lesson and press on. My heart is full of hope for them. May they always know that they are not alone, that God is always with them. All they have to do is... follow in His steps...