While General Douglas MacArthur was stationed in Australia and acting as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, he penned this prayer for his only son, Arthur.

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 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 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 weakness of true strength.

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

outside

Ladies and gentlemen, the fall is essentially upon us.

I could not be happier about this.

The best thing about the fall is being outside.

I really like being outside.

A lot.

One day I hope to have a job that affords me a little more time outdoors.

Or a cabin with a massive garden.

Or just a farm.

Or race in the Iditarod.

So on and so forth.

 

There is something very renewing about spending an extended time in the wilderness, and I often wonder why that is.

I understand that it is not everyone’s cup of tea.  Humans have spent the better part of our existence trying to refine and escape from outside.

We retreat inside to seek the comfort of a roof and air conditioning.

Going outside has become an increasingly recreationalized.  Not that it’s entirely a bad thing.  I would never want to give anyone a reason not to get off of the grid for a spell, or enjoy the brillance of the natural world.

I guess, for a lot of folks, it is like a retreat from the retreat.

For my own part, I enjoy the simplicity of nature.  It is more of a retreat from the unnecessary things involved in the day-to-day.  It feels good to step back, slow down, and take stock.

 An appreciation and understanding of the outdoors is something I want to foster in my own children.  I think it is an oft neglected aspect of childhood in the modern age.  A walk on the creek bed can inspire an imagination as much as a video game (although some video games are very well developed)

 

At any rate, I cannot express how much I enjoy falling leaves, camp fires, hammocks, pumpkin pie, and apple cider.  So I won't even try.

GOATs

In a portion of the tennis-fan world, the term GOAT is frequently used as a moniker for the longer phrase "greatest of all time".

I think this is hilarious.




Let me talk about my friends for a moment.
My friends are GOAT.

See years-ago post:
http://thehorsereformation.blogspot.com/2010/03/bro-time.html

I have the privilege of calling some of the most respectable men and women I've ever met friends.
Each of them have unique and admirable qualities, and I count myself lucky to have the influence of their companionship.



My family is GOAT.
I'm proud of them, and feel lucky to have been born in to a group of people that provide such unwaivering love and support.

I bring all of this up because I have been thinking on why it is that I have found myself sticking around the North Carolina piedmont for the foreseeable future.  It certainly is not what was expected, neither by myself nor those who know me well. 
Admittedly, I much prefer the idea of Alaska, Colorado, western NC - places like that.

It is because that which I value most, the relationships I am building with my friends and family, have become much more important to me than I could have understood years ago. 

A buddy of mine said recently that he was taking stock of what he held as most valuable and putting more effort towards those things.  Subsequently, he was going to focus less on that which he viewed as frivolous, and maximize opportunity to spend time with those who enrich his life.

I can get behind that.

At this particular point in time, my desire to foster relationships and enjoy the company of those I care most about outweighs any desire for adventure and dedicated autonomy. 


When circumstances should serve to change this, I'll be thankful for the time that I have had.

For right now, my priorities are with my people.

Strengths

"Strengths" is the longest single syllable word in the English language.


That is not particularly relevant to what I intend to discuss, but it is a mildly interesting bit of trivia.



I used to believe that the pursuit of strength was paramount; that weakness was a thing to be overcome in stages throughout life. Every day can be focused in a way that somehow minimizes or combats your weaknesses.

Until now, my focus has been conquest over personal deficiency.  Within this consistent goal of self-betterment, I found a displaced sense of purpose.

I have come to realize that I am not a strong man. I have insecurities, faults, doubts, anxiety, bad habits, shortcomings, selfish ambitions, and any other negative attribute you can think up.
These are all things to overcome, and there is a lot of honor and pride to be found in continuously pushing yourself to become a better person.

I think this allows me to better understand and appreciate weakness in myself and others.

This post has gotten a bit self-indulgent, but bear with me.


Humans, by our nature, are weak.  Strength is not a sustained entity, but rather a result of effort to grow beyond current limitations.  From the time someone is born, they are fragile.  As they grow, they become stronger.  Depending on how they choose to confront the obstacles before them, they will grow and strengthen in different ways.


Teddy Roosevelt grew up a very frail child.  Rather than allowing his infirmities to dictate the path, Teddy embraced a very strenuous life.  He literally worked his severe asthma out of his body.
Although he was naturally timid, he reports becoming confident and emboldened by reading about the lives of individuals he admired, and incorporating their character into his own.


However, strength comes in great amounts to those who understand their own limitations, and the limitations of others.

Biblical teachings show us much about strengths and weaknesses.
Galatians 6:2
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

I think that we, together in our weakness, become strong.
 

I think that, above all, through Christ we become strong.

Romans 14:7-9
For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.


Strength is a wonderful pursuit.  It is even more meaningful in the context of our vast limitations as humans, and our ability to use the results of our efforts to help others.
Primarily, I would like to keep the impact of my relationship with Christ at the center and the ultimate source of strength.
No amount of push-ups can account for that.