A Teen's Prayer

Dear God,

I’m not an adult yet, and I’m not a child any more
I am a teenager,
Those simple, carefree days of childhood are gone.
I miss them.
I miss how I used to define my bestest best friend in the whole wide world
As the person who loaned me money for the ice cream man
I miss how we girls used to link arms on the playground and sing:
“Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider;
Girls go to college to get more knowledge”
I miss being little and cute
And feeling like a princess in ruffly, lacy dresses
Now I feel ugly and unloved,
Feeling pretty only when I wear tons of make-up and fashionable clothes
Now we girls fight over boys and boyfriends
Instead of uniting against them
Now my bestest best friends in the whole wide world
Are the people who have stood by me through thick and thin
Who have been there for me when I needed them
Friendship is more complicated now, and harder too, though more rewarding.
But, Lord, the thing I miss most
Is my trusting innocence
How I was too young to know that
You have more important things to worry about
Than my lost pet kitten, my sore pinkie finger, and
The keys I accidentally locked in the car
I just prayed about those things and
My pet came home, my pinkie healed
And we found the spare car keys
But now I have been disappointed by life so many times
That I am afraid to ask, afraid to trust
Lord, make me more like a child in my heart
Heal the hurts that have made me so cynical
And give me back my childlike faith

Lord, being a teenager is hard.
I want to fit in, and I want to stand out
I want to be cool, but I want to be a light for You
I hate my parents, I love my parents
Life’s not worth living, life is full of joy
I’m up, I’m down, I’m here, I’m there
I’m one big bundle of contradictions
I want to be younger, I want to be older
I want to be anything but what I am
Lord, You know all about my struggles
And you’re there with me through these emotional times
You’re my strength in all this turmoil

Lord, I’ve grown up some, but I’m not done yet
I’m not an adult yet, and that’s the hardest part of being a teen
I want so badly to be independent
To do things my own way
I don’t like to obey my parents
I’ve got a mind of my own
I want to make my own choices and do my own thing
But I know I don’t have the experience that brings wisdom
That I make the wrong decisions sometimes
That my parents are trying to protect me, not thwart me.
So please help me to accept that I’m not done growing
And help me to accept authority

Lord, as I grow up, I want to grow closer to You
I want to grow into someone You can be proud of
So shape me into the person you want me to be
‘Cause when I’m an adult I want my life to glorify You
But I want to glorify You right now, as a teenager, too.