Dear God,

I was in 8th grade this year. It was one of the toughest years for me. I lost the most important friend Ive ever had and it tore me to pieces. Sometimes I would find myself crying in the choir room. I would have at least 3 breakdowns a week. The anger and sadness stuck with me wherever I went and, no matter what I did. My grades were dropping, and I couldn’t concentrate. It always felt like the world was crumbling around me, there was nothing I could do to fix it.

Everyday after school my dad would pick me up at at the grocery store, where I would wait for him. When all the stress and anger started piling on, I found myself wanting to rebel. Before I knew it, I started shoplifting at the store. There were times when it felt good, and those were normally my bad days. Then there were times when I hated myself for it. I tried to stop but I always found myself doing it again.

When mom and dad found out it was stressful, but a part of me was glad they had. I started to get picked up​ somewhere new, and slowly but surely, I started to rebuild myself. I started going to church. I cut my hair. I got rid of anything that reminded me of the me I hated. I prayed every night and put all my trust in you. I prayed that the life you have planned for is one of goodness and light.

Now I’m better than ever. Im moving on with my life and I going to a new school to get away from the pain. I thank my parents and you for getting me through the tough times. I understand that the first step to growing up is to stop punishing yourself for everything you did when you were a kid. I have confessed, and now I can finally do that.

Amen.