When I look back on my own \u201cyouth years\u201d I realise now what an extraordinarily difficult period it was \u2013 the explosion of hormones, the pressure to be in the \u201cin\u201d crowd, the stresses and expectations placed upon you \u2013 it all seemed to come together at the same time! When you are a teenager, you have no concept that this cauldron of racing thoughts, emotions and confusions will settle down. You have no idea that ahead lies easier seasons and that life is not all or nothing, \u201cliving the dream\u201d or complete failure, but that there are many pathways and possibilities for happiness. At this age I remember how my life would see-saw between great moments of maturity and then complete meltdowns just hours later as though I was a toddler! Yet amidst all this I remember chinks of clarity, times of connection and flashes of faith forming in my soul. Nurturing and sometimes nursing a young adult through these years can be a roller coaster of a ride. As we seek to care for our in-betweeners, let\u2019s remember the challenges of life as a teenager and extend fountains of grace to them as they navigate their way through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following prayer seeks to bring order and hope into this maze of teenage existence. It recalls all the different elements that bring inspiration and meaning to life and offers these beautiful things back to God in love and service. If you are a young person, use this film now as a space to hear and connect with God and his heart for your life. And if you are of an older generation, please use this video as a prayer for someone you know who is going through this period of great transition in their lives, and ask for God\u2019s presence and voice to be with them: –<\/p>\n\n\n\n