I’ve invited prayer in the Chester Diocesan Cycle of Prayer with a bit of science.
It is hard to be honoured by people who have seen us grow up. Jesus recognized that. “Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin.” (Mark 6:4). Is that partly because they have seen the difficulties we have had growing up?
So let’s pray for those in their teenage years.
There’s a lot happening in the teenage brain with the unused connections in the thinking and processing part of the brain being pruned away while other connections are being strengthened. The prefrontal cortex is still developing leaving teenagers to rely on the part of brain called the amygdala for their decision making.
The amygdala is all emotion, impulse, aggression and instinctive behaviour. This makes growing up through the teenage years very difficult and leads many to be ashamed and to self-harm. One way of reading Genesis 3 is to see Adam and Eve as teenagers, making impulsive decisions and growing in shame.
Growing up is difficult. Please pray for those living through their teenage years, including
- those who are vulnerable, anxious or ashamed,
- those who have made mistakes or are troubled or troubling,
- those who have suffered mental health issues through the pandemic,
- parents
- and those in our communities who support and champion teenagers
Grits and Grains 