Dr

General Douglas MacArthur fought in WWI, led our nation to win the war against the Japanese in WWII and commanded our troops during the Korean War.

MacArthur was a devoted and caring father with good intentions. At the birth of his son he wrote this beautiful piece of prose which many men frame:

Build me a son, O Lord,
who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,
and brave enough to face him self 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 team compassion for those who fall.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goals 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.

Following the end of WWII during the occupation of Japan Gen. MacArthur entrusted his son, Arthur's education to the Japanese. He put him in the Japanese public school system, and it was during this time that his child was morally defiled, and gave his entire life over to perversion. Douglas MacArthur could not speak the name of his son for the rest of his life. He died unreconciled with his son due to his son's perversion.

There are many parents that want good things for their child, but are unwilling not only to love God with all their heart, but to keep His commands – to act upon what they believe. How many of us are willing to do that? The sad legacy of Christianity over the last century has been a people of good intentions, but no follow through.

The sad story of MacArthur is the sad story of so many parents. Great intentions, but no follow through. Personally, I cannot imagine any thing worse than losing my children. No success, no matter how great whether academic, professional, or material, could make up for the loss of my children.