Author: Chara Donahue

Years ago, I attended a ministry boot camp with Darrin Patrick as the keynote speaker. He shared a personal prayer he often prayed with his son. I did not have a son at the time, but the power of it struck me. I stored it away in the pathways of the brain, just in case. When the Lord did bless us with a son, I pulled it up, painted it on various things, and now I pray it with him nightly:

“God, make him a man with thick skin and a soft heart.  Make him a man who is tough and tender.  Make him tough so he can handle life.  Make him tender so he can love people. God, make him a man.”

I have long wanted to write something comparable for my girls. I finally did. I’ve toyed around with different versions and prayed them over my little women. They tell me this is the one they love:

“Jesus, I ask you to make my girl gutsy and gentle.
Gutsy, so she can bring justice to a fallen world.
Gentle, so she can give mercy to the fallen.
Gutsy, because she knows you have her back.
Gentle, because she knows you have her heart.
Gutsy, to stand against what the world tells her she needs to be, and
Gentle, so she can be at peace with who you say she is.
Lord, make my girl gutsy and gentle, so that she can be before all things godly.”

~~~

Chara is a freelance writer, certified biblical counselor, and speaker. She holds a MSEd from Corban University and is passionate about seeing people set free through God’s truths. She loves to write about faith, culture,  and the deep truths that drive our fascinations with it. Chara is the founder and editor of  Anchored Voices and can be found on multiple social media platforms @CharaDonahue.