This past week I spoke at Northern Michigan’s “Family Camp”. Don’t be too impressed yet, I wasn’t the “main speaker”. But I was brought in to speak to their youth (7-12th graders). There was a good sized group of over 70 teens or so, and they gave some great responses. One of the biggest things people of any age seem to deal with is finding the humility to say, “I need help.”
During the week, we’d sometimes head over to Fife Lake with my parents to have some family time. It was a nice quiet place, with a great ice cream stand, and awesomely shallow water levels for the kids to play in. Unfortunately, it was also a beloved spot to a great many geese to use as a toilet. The “gifts” left by local geese formed a natural barrier, tough for any 3 year old to jump over. Looking up to mommy/daddy or a grandparent, our daughters would ask to be helped past the ring of goose-droppings. Once past that obstacle, they could enjoy watching minnows, splashing in clear water, and discovering many sizes of snail shells.
The prayers of these teens echo a similar desire to get help over/through a difficult place in life. Simply to write or speak these words is a giant step for many people, who would otherwise be stuck on the shores of life, or be stomping solo through the goose poop of rough situations. Prayer is such an important act to be involved in, and to encourage in our children. The very act of prayer, declares there is something outside myself. If we raise our children to live as “beings who pray”, we offer them a great foundation of humility.
Here are just a few of their written prayers. May we recognize where these may echo our own, and be sensitive to where our children may be praying something similar…
“Dear Heavenly Father, Please restore my life…rid me of myself.”
“Remind me I’m yours, Lord…not satan’s.”
“Dear God, forgive me of my sins, and help me be closer to you.”
“I need help to be more humble & less prideful.”
“God, help me to let it go. High School is over now, and I know I will be happier without it.”
“God, help me to have stronger faith, and to not be a blonde.” 🙂
“God, please help me!”
“Dear Lord, help me to realize I don’t need others opinions to make me feel good about myself.”
(many of these) “Lord, help me to be a good witness/example to ________”
“Lord, help me to overcome temptation.”
“Please help me to know that your love surrounds me and I don’t have to hurt myself.”
“Dear God I am going through a hard time, please help me.”
“Thank you for letting me get to know you better lately.”
“Lord I know I’ve been acting like you’re not there, and I know you are…please help.”
“God I thank you for a family who loves me, and is always there for me.”
words from wick 
I chuckled when I read your comment on my blog (about Jonah) and then I laughed more when I came here! “the goose poop of rough situations” Nope, can’t tell at all that you minister to youth:) Great post!
haha…it always helps to give a visual, I think. 🙂
This articulates exactly why I want to serve as a mentor. I want to be available to this young lady when she needs help. A safe place that she knows she can voice her concerns in. I pray that I consistently point her to the God who alone can meet her needs.
Thanks for stopping by New Life Steward and linking up with WIP Wednesday!
Mary Beth
Definitely! May we all involve ourselves in loving others by pointing them to God..thanks!!!
Thank-you for sharing! This is both cute & needful!
Definitely…God continues to use my girls to transform me! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!