假如你讓過去偷走你的現在，你就會把往事看成現在要面對的事情，千萬別這樣想！要振作站起來把屬於你的現在奪回，請再細讀神對撒母耳所說的話：「往伯利恒人耶西那裡去，因為我在他眾子之內，預定一個作王的。」聽到嗎？神已為你安排妥當，好叫你能重新開始。

主啊！教導我兒子，
在軟弱時，能夠堅強不屈；
在懼怕時，能夠勇敢自持；
在誠實的失敗中，毫不氣餒；
在光明的勝利中，仍保持謙遜溫和。
教導我兒子，篤信力行，而不從事空想；
使他認識祢，同時也認識他自己；
這才是一切知識的開端。
我祈求祢，不要將他引上逸樂之途，
而將他置於困難及挑戰的磨練與刺激之下；
使他學著從風暴中站起來，
而又由此學著同情那些跌倒的人。
求祢讓他有一顆純潔的心、一個高尚的目標；
在學習指揮別人之前，先學會自制；
在邁向未來之時，而不遺忘過去。
主！在他有了這些美德之後，
我還要祈求祢
賜給他充份的幽默感，以免過於嚴肅；
賜給他謙虛，使他永遠記著真正的偉大是單純，
真正的智慧是坦率，真正的力量是溫和。
然後做為父親的我，才敢輕聲的說：
「我總算這輩子沒有白活」。阿們！

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 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

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.

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.

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
and the meekness of true strength

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