朋友送了我一本由插畫家蔡兆倫繪圖的2017繪本月曆<杯杯英雄>。

 

令我驚喜的是，裡面的每一張圖都是用麥克阿瑟為子祈禱文的一字一句做為搭配。可愛的杯子人物插圖加上情感真摯的禱告，我相信連非基督徒的人也會非常喜歡。

接著就來分享這篇非讀不可的祈禱文吧!

主啊！求你塑造我的兒子，

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，毫不氣餒；

在勝利中，仍保持謙遜溫和。

“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.

 

懇求塑造我的兒子，

不至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。

 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.

 

我祈禱，

願你引導他不求安逸、舒適，

相反的，經過壓力、艱難和挑戰，

學習在風暴中挺身站立，

學會憐恤那些在重壓之下失敗的人。

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 that fail.

 

求你塑造我的兒子，

心地清潔，

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，

又能伸展入未來的理想。

　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.

當他擁有以上的一切，

我還要禱求，賜他足夠的幽默感，

使他能認真嚴肅，

卻不致過分苛求自己。

And after all these things are his,

and, I pray, enough of a sense of humor,

so that he may always be serious,　

yet never take himself too seriously.

懇求賜他謙卑，

使他永遠記牢，

真偉大中的平凡，

真智慧中的開明，

真勇力中的溫柔。

Give him humility,

so that he may always remember

the simplicity of true greatness,

the open mind of true wisdom

and the meekness of true strength.

如此，我這作父親的，

才敢低聲說：「我沒有虛度此生。」

Then, I, his father will dare to

　whisper, “I have not lived in vain.’

         － General  Douglas  MacArthur 

                                                                                                 
—

各位成為典範時，子女自然會成大器，這是理所當然的。

這就如同父母不會運動，子女多半也不會運動。

 

鄭明析 牧師 1998.8.26晨更話語