prayers for boys

Someone on facebook posted an entry from a blog called givenbreath.com (from April 27, 2013) and I had to take this section from the blog and copy it because I don't ever want to forget this. My children have an amazing, truly amazing dad, who points them to their heavenly Father.  My thought is that I can pray these at all times, on the bus, in the car, cleaning the house, just lifting these up to our Lord.

But, I think I should like to add to number twelve that if my two boys keep skimboarding on our roof in the rain, God is going to be for them, but he is going to let the natural consequences of this beautiful nature he created take its course.

OK.  Here goes – twelve prayers for our men of all ages.  

1.  Love your wife: be faithful to her in your mind, and also with your body.

*If you are not married, choose to be honorable in your thoughts and relationships this day.  Be a man – of any age or marital status – who is faithful and true in his inner and outer places.

2. Little things matter: everything, good or bad,  starts small.

3. Be an encourager: pour your best energies into building others up.

4. People are more important that technology.

5. A man cannot serve two masters: who do you serve?

6. Be stong and gentle: this is a tall task, but the world needs men who are both.

7. Show restraint: just because you know you can, doesn’t mean you should.

8. Defend the outcast and notice the lonely: go out and welcome in.

9. Find the good whenever humanly possible: it is the mark of a happy man.

10. Enter the fray: don’t be afraid to try, or discourage those that do.

11. Bring your whole self with you everywhere you go: it takes much courage!

12. Remember this always: if God is for you – who can be against you?

Roof: It would be one thing if the boys were skimborading on the roof sections with the nice concrete walls all around; but, no, they are doing this on the long, skinny section above the glass door.  I'm wondering if a similar experience might have prompted one of my neighbors to plant grass on that section of his roof.