Blessing for a Child

May God protect you from every danger that you face.
May God give you the strength and courage to take failure, not as a measure of your worth, but as a chance for a new start.
May you care for the body that God has given you and thus be filled with health and wholeness.
May prosperity come your way, so that you are free from worry about food and drink, about home and shelter, but
may you never be so caught up in material things that you forget that the essence of life lies not in possessions or money but in love, and in God.
May you find the joy that is ever present in God's creation.
May you find fulfillment in whatever you choose to do.
May you use your talents to serve in the way that God intends you to, helping your fellow humans and walking in the light of God.
May you fully love and may you be fully loved.
May your happiness be unmarred by evil, spite, or maliciousness, either your own or someone else’s.
May your path be one of goodness -- leading to changes for the better in the lives of others.
May you be a source of light and inspiration to your family and friends, and maybe the same to you.
May God fill you with wisdom and grace, with virtue and knowledge, with patience and action, and with understanding and love.
May you be forever comforted by a strong and enduring faith in God, who created you and who sustains your life.


--Ms Elizabeth K. Camp, in Elizabeth Rankin Geitz, et al, eds, Women's Uncommon Prayers: Our Lives Revealed, Nurtured, Celebrated (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing), 2000