If there's one challenge that seems central to the teen years, it's being labeled as a teen-ager! (And all of the stereotyped implications that go along with the label.)
At every age, challenges or problems demand solutions—healing solutions. Wherever you find yourself in regard to challenges facing young people—helping or being helped—it isn't really a matter of age or experience as much as willingness. Willingness to trust and be trusted. Willingness to express our love of others. Respect. Intuition. Genuine affection. Honesty. Courage. When these qualities are evident, they reveal (in sometimes surprising ways) common ground, or a spiritual basis of unity for seeking and finding answers.
In the following examples, the teens sought help from individuals who were praying deeply about challenges they were facing, and their prayers not only resolved their own situations but had a healing effect on the lives of the young people who sought them out. The individuals who were able to help all had something in common— their love for God and their honest willingness to trust Him and seek answers that brought healing.
