Anyone who grew up watching the John Hughes movies of teenage angst, youthful innocence and coming of age of the 1980’s knows that they captured something that was somewhat eternal. The readings of the lectionary of the past few weeks remind us that God calls us to know God as a child. What is scary to me is that even now those movies are popular among young people.
O God who knows us in our discomfort, lack of confidence and our desire to fit in. May we never lose the hopes and dreams that youth provides. Let us deal with challenges with some of the innocence and passion that our youth gave us. May we be willing to forgive as we did when we were younger and strive for the community that all of us desire. Let us laugh deeply, love fully, and celebrate the excitement that we have when we learn something new about ourselves and the world. Help us to create those spaces for the young people in our lives. May we be aware of when we can be the person that others need in times of stress and simply be present to those for whom we care. Amen
Prayers for Challenging Times 