I tell my Sunday School class to keep a prayer journal. Prayer Journals are a way for us to communicate with God. It gets stuff out of my head and down on paper and that act alone can take away the sting of a situation and provide clarity. Prayer journals also help me keep an account of the faithfulness of God.

Four years ago, my prayer journal was full of my concerns for my oldest. Charlie was a freshman then and he was so unhappy. His classmates argued constantly. Everyone seemed harsh and judgemental, and no one liked themselves much less each other.

Oh yeah, freshman year. Lord of the flies from junior high bleeding over into high school.

Charlie had no clue who he was then. He was a loner with very few friends. He hated school and he hated life. My heart ached for my wonderful son who was and is so brilliant, so funny and so endearing. It’s the same heartache I feel for my youngest, who not surprisingly is going through the same questions. “Am I a man? Do I have worth? Where do I fit.” Halfway through 10th grade, Charlie came into his own. He found his identity and he found new friends. He has learned that he has a talent for writing, for comedy, and is graduating top of his class (Three way tie for valedictorian right now). Charlie even has a girlfriend for the first time. He’s doing just fine.

I’ve been here before, watching my boys walk this crazy road called adolescence and I’d forgotten that. Ninth grade is merciless, but it doesn’t last forever. My youngest, will survive just like his brother did and just like we did. I’d forgotten that, but God didn’t. He was faithful then, and He will be faithful now. I just lost my remember-er for a few days.