If you work with at-risk and troubled youth and teens, chances are that your days are long and difficult and you often find yourself reaching out to a higher power for the patience to make it through. No matter what religion or denomination you are, a thoughtful prayer can help soothe your mind and give you that extra push you need to fix what is broken and treat others the way you want to be treated.
ARISE is not a religious organization, but the ARISE Founders, Susan and Edmund Benson, created a special prayer specifically for those commited, courageous men and women who work with some of the toughest, most needy kids and teens in the country. It is called “A Prayer for Troubled Youth.”
And here it is:
Here this humble prayer, O God, for our
troubled children, for at-risk youth that
are abused, misguided and vulnerable;
for children who yearn for nothing more
than encouraging words and a loving
touch; for any that have broken society’s
laws and are lost and frightened.
We entreat for them Thy mercy, grace
and forgiveness, and for those responsible
for their care we ask hearts of compassion,
gentle hands and kind words.
Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to
these young men and women, and so to
share the blessings of the merciful.
Amen.
For more life skills curricula, free downloads and fresh ideas, visit www.ariselife-skills.org.
