A Father’s Prayer

Prayer By: General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) who was United states' last five-star general. His fierce command of many campaigns in WWI, WWII, and Korea distinguished him as a true patriot. But MacArthur was also a man of prayer. "A Father's Prayer," written by the general during the early days of the desperate campaigns in the Far East in WWII; is a model for every father today.


麥克阿瑟元帥為儿子的祈禱

主啊! 求你塑造我的儿子，使他夠堅強到能認識自己的軟弱；夠勇敢到能面對懼怕；在誠實的失敗中，毫不气餒；在胜利中，仍保持謙遜溫和。

懇求塑造我的儿子，不致空有幻想而缺乏行動，引導他認識你，同時又知道認識自己乃是真知識的基石。我祈禱，愿你引導他，不求安逸，舒适，相反的，經過壓力艱難和挑戰，學習在風暴中挺身站立，學會怜恤那些在重壓之下失敗的人。

求你塑造我的儿子，心地清洁，目標遠大；使他在指揮別人之前，先懂得駕馭自己；永不忘記過去的教訓，又能伸展人未來的理想。當他擁有以上的一切，我還要祈求，賜他足夠的幽默感，使他能認真嚴肅，却不致過份苛求自己。懇求賜他謙卑，使他永遠牢記，真偉大中的平凡，真智慧中的開明，真勇力中的溫柔。

如此，我這做父親的，才敢低聲說：“我沒有虛度此生”。


麥克阿瑟元帥


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 clear, 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 true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

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

Amen.