Please pray teens like me who are growing up

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Airborne21B

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Life gets you down. I have so many crosses to bear I honestly don’t know which one to pick up every morning. I stepped off when I was twelve to fill shoes far larger than I could comprehend. After twelve years of drunken abuse and much much worse things my mother kicked my father out. Some bruises never heal. When he left my brother had just turned one. I did everything I could to help carry the family.

While my mother and older sister were out fending for a dime, I raised my brother. When my sister moved out I started helping with the bills at sixteen, still being the best father/brother I knew how to be. I joined the Army at seventeen to try and be a role model for my brother, and the money was better giving me more to send back home. I am on the other side of the country away from the brother who I have devoted my whole life to. I joined thinking that this way I could protect him. But how? I’m sitting around waiting to go to war when I could be there helping him in school and other things.

West Point offered me a scholarship and I know I should take it but that’s just more time away from him. I’ll be turning nineteen in five months. It’s coming to the time when I’m going to be a man, but I don’t even know what that means. No one has shown me or helped me along. I’m exhausted mentally physically and emotionally from being run into the ground by my unit. It’s nonstop, I don’t feel like I have time to take hold of myself. I’m questioning the big things like life, love, and what really comes next. Is there one person you’ll love? Or are there more than one possibility? And say you miss that possibility and settle for the next one does that mean you will never be as happy as you would have with the first one? Do I have to go out and find a wife (not right now but later)? Or will she kind of fall into my lap?

What does God want from me? Why has my life been plagued with hardships? I know others have it worse and I am not in the least wallowing in self-pity, but the only thing I have gotten from this is a black hole of hate and anger. That bastard knows my cell number and after six years he still choses not to even say sorry for what he has done! The worst part is Paul is paying for it all as well. He has come home from playing with a friend and asked “where is my daddy? how come Sam has a daddy and I don’t”? How can a man do that to a child? I’m bewildered by the cruelty of the whole world and I want to challenge it out of frustration.

I try to be like Job who never cursed God. My problems crumble compared to his, and yet he was strong. Honestly folks I’m in need of some direction, because the choices are bigger now, and I don’t know if I’m large enough to make them.

Please pray for me so I can gain some direction. And also pray for others like me who feel alone, and hopeless. I know I’m not alone so please help them as well.
 
You are in my prayers:gopray:

For the sake of your brother, take the scholarship.
 
Hello Airborne,
I’m praying for you right now! Hang on!!!

Father, this young man comes to you with much
anger and disapointment in his heart. Please send
him your Holy Spirit for comfort, strength, guidance,
and most of all peace. Now that his father has shown him
everything a “father” shouldn’t be, please help him to understand
everything a real father SHOULD be. When it is time, please
send him the perfect woman for him. Allow him to know her when
he sees her. Show him how much his country appreciates
him for serving our country and for protecting the freedom we all have been awarded. Remove all anxiety and worry from his
heart and mind. Bring peace to his soul and to all those in
his family. Show him what a “role model” he is for his brother.
We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ!
AMEN
 
Life gets you down. I have so many crosses to bear I honestly don’t know which one to pick up every morning. I stepped off when I was twelve to fill shoes far larger than I could comprehend. After twelve years of drunken abuse and much much worse things my mother kicked my father out. Some bruises never heal. When he left my brother had just turned one. I did everything I could to help carry the family.

While my mother and older sister were out fending for a dime, I raised my brother. When my sister moved out I started helping with the bills at sixteen, still being the best father/brother I knew how to be. I joined the Army at seventeen to try and be a role model for my brother, and the money was better giving me more to send back home. I am on the other side of the country away from the brother who I have devoted my whole life to. I joined thinking that this way I could protect him. But how? I’m sitting around waiting to go to war when I could be there helping him in school and other things.

West Point offered me a scholarship and I know I should take it but that’s just more time away from him. I’ll be turning nineteen in five months. It’s coming to the time when I’m going to be a man, but I don’t even know what that means. No one has shown me or helped me along. I’m exhausted mentally physically and emotionally from being run into the ground by my unit. It’s nonstop, I don’t feel like I have time to take hold of myself. I’m questioning the big things like life, love, and what really comes next. Is there one person you’ll love? Or are there more than one possibility? And say you miss that possibility and settle for the next one does that mean you will never be as happy as you would have with the first one? Do I have to go out and find a wife (not right now but later)? Or will she kind of fall into my lap?

What does God want from me? Why has my life been plagued with hardships? I know others have it worse and I am not in the least wallowing in self-pity, but the only thing I have gotten from this is a black hole of hate and anger. That bastard knows my cell number and after six years he still choses not to even say sorry for what he has done! The worst part is Paul is paying for it all as well. He has come home from playing with a friend and asked “where is my daddy? how come Sam has a daddy and I don’t”? How can a man do that to a child? I’m bewildered by the cruelty of the whole world and I want to challenge it out of frustration.

I try to be like Job who never cursed God. My problems crumble compared to his, and yet he was strong. Honestly folks I’m in need of some direction, because the choices are bigger now, and I don’t know if I’m large enough to make them.

Please pray for me so I can gain some direction. And also pray for others like me who feel alone, and hopeless. I know I’m not alone so please help them as well.
God is bigger than any problem, so if you live, work, and bear everything through, with, and in God, you won’t go wrong in life - even if everything in life seems to go wrong and go against you.
 
Dearest God, please help “Airborne” to know whether to accept this scholarship offered to him, who so deserve the blessings You offer. Your will is often in the opportunities that offer, however, he says that his unit has exhausted him, so can it be Your will for him if it makes him unhappy or unpeaceful? Please give him a clear answer. Your will is found in peace, not in anxiety.
Jesus You have told us “Love one another as you love yourself.” Let us therefore him make his choices for his own wellbeing as he wouldn’t wish less for his brother. His brother sounds young, so please help him decide.

Our God, is there any chance the father might have been given the grace to return now because the younger son needs him around now, so that this wonderful older son may have a future? If so, I ask You most urgently to renew and change this neglectful faither’s heart, and bring him to repentance, respect and love for his family, and commitment.

Almighty God, please heal the terrible wrong that this father has done to his family. Heal the enormous injustice of his behavior that has impacted so heavily on his family. If this good young man should speak honestly with his father about the wrong he has done him and his family, please help him to do so calmly not angrily, as an wise adult would, and tell him he owes genuine apology and restitution. Please heal the generous and wronged heart of this fine young man.

Let this young man know, our God, that he doesn’t need to rush out to find a wife, that he may need time to construct his own life, rather than to take on more responsibility as he has already carried so much. Lead his good and beautiful wife to him at the time You wish.

You are an amazing young man and I pray that God will ‘write straight with crooked lines’ and give you a fulfilling and happy life. I ask God to fill your brother’s life with more blessings, and to give, him the decent, genuine father he deserves. If that man failed you, I pray he will not fail your little brother. Horrible and hard as it seems, you need to ask God to somehow give you forgiveness of your father who has taken so much for you. You probably can’t forgive him yet and maybe for a while…but for your own health it is needful, and it is so hard if he doess not see how wrong he’s been. All you may be able to do is to ask God to help you forgive, and to pray for him. That sounds unfair, but you do need that. Please, please God, help this lovely young man to heal.

May God bless your good, troubled heart and lead you through all this confusion and hurt. With love, Trishie
 
Airbone,

It sounds like you have a lot on your plate, God, IS with you. He has given you a strong body and strong mind(they do not give those West Point scholarships to just anyone). All the while he is protecting you and your family and keeping you safe.

As for West Point and helping your brother, sometimes a good example is as good as anything you can do being at home, not sure how your brother is doing with his life. I can tell you this a degree from West Point should give you a strong military career if that’s what you want, it also is highly regarded in the business world too. Getting a college degree should be very beneficial for your future and a great way to help further God’s work.

At this point the best advice I can offer is:
  1. Keep coming the Forums here and asking questions, you will be glad you did.
  2. Pray the Rosary, God the Father here’s all our Prayers. Get a finger Rosary or a single decade Rosary if you like and maybe a booklet to brush up on how to say it. You can say the Rosary silently, laying in bed as you retire for the night. You will be amazed at the graces you and your family will receive.👍
I ran into this YouTube just the other day, I had not heard this song in decades, it gave me chill bumps to hear it again.

youtube.com/watch?v=BnvG52osDm4
 
Hi Airborne21B,
Wow, you had a lot to say. I don’t know where to begin. I was thinking of multi-quoting your post. I quess the first thing to do is to introduce myself.
My name is Patrick. I grew up without a father. My Mom did the best she could to raise a boy into a man. My Grandfather (her father) did what he could. She allowed me to go away for a week at summer camp, join a sports club, get me a Catholic Big Brother, hang out with my guy friends, allow me to get bumps & bruises, gave her permission to so I could play full contact high school football. She even gave her permission for me to join the US Army at 17 yo. I didn’t finish the Army. After about 3 months and a few days (1 month delayed entry, 2 1/2 months active duty.)
I was Honorably Discharged under the Trainee Discharge Program. That brief experience has also taught me a few things about being a man.
My Mom took a huge chance, I was her only son and child(until much later.) I did not have any known siblings. However, in 1992 I met a younger sister, who was looking for her birth mom. I had a feeling and saw my Mom pregnant when I was 9 yo. Then in 2005 another female was looking for her birth mother. I asked my Mom about she denied it. As she was in the hospital, Dec 2006- June 2007 I accidentally ran across some letters and other documents that confirmed I had two older sisters. Now, I had 3 sisters,I no longer was an only child. My Mom also met her youngest daughter in 1992. Unfortunately, Mom died on 7 June 2007, without meeting her other daughters. I often wondered if she had kept the all of the daughters or some of them. How, could that affected my life, it might have me grow up faster like you did. I would’ve taken care of my younger sister.
What you have done for your family and especially for your younger brother is very mature. That is part of being a man. The best example of man to look up to is Jesus. If you follow the Holy Bible you will see Jesus being very much of a man.
I know you miss your brother, now you have to be a strong role model for him. BE ALL YOU CAN BE (Army pun intended.) Take the West Point opportunity. A chance like that doesn’t happen all the time. Do it while you are still young and your family is young.

" Drive on Drill Sergeant, Drive On."

" All the way"

P.S. I’ll send you a Part 2. You can also PM, if you want.
 
Hi again Airborne 21B,
You’re 82nd Airborne, “All American” Division aren’t you? I had a friend who was in the 82nd.

I hope that by my sharing a little bit of my life that it might help you. If it has may I continue?

I’m involved in my parish Life Teen (7 yrs) and Confirmation (19 yrs) programs as a Catechist, small group faciliator, etc. So, it really pains me to see young people going through what you are going through. If you were part of my group and I saw and heard your problems and how you are dealing with them. I say I am very proud of you. Keep praying, keep going to church, talk to your priest, keep up the good work, if you falter get back up, you can do this, if you need help you can count on me, I’ll will not lose faith in you, you are special, you are a blessing to your family.

What does God want from you? To be a true and faithful to Him, his word, his Church. All other things will added. But that question has been asked by everybody, including the saints. You are not alone my young friend.

Yes, you have endured hardships. I know its hard. I’ll tell you about a very recent hardship for me. I had to have a triple by-pass surgery that completely caught me off guard, I didn’t know it,they discovered when I was in the ER.(By the way I’m only 49). I stayed in the hospital for a week until the surgery. The surgery was scheduled for the day after Mother’s Day 2008. I had to miss visiting my Mom at the cemetery,for Mother’s Day the first one without her. So, because of her passing and my separated family. I’m basically doing my recovery on my own. I try to cope with this by reminding myself “that God does not test us beyond our limits and he’ll give us what we need to cope.” (St. Paul wrote that.)

Regarding your father, Please be open to giving him and yourself time and patience to allow room for healing. My own situation, my father and I never got together. I don’t hate him. I don’t hold any grudges or ill feeling towards him. I never really tried to look for him. If we ever meet, I’ll be happy to finally meet him. There are questions I need answers .

Don’t rush the girlfriend/wife thing. You have plenty of other concerns and worries to handle not. Don’t let a girlfriend cloud or discourage your mind. But don’t wait like I’m still doing. I missed out on providing a daughter-in-law and grandkids to my Mom. On that I will be forever sorry and sad.

Anyway sorry about going on and on. I hope I didn’t bore you. In fact you may not have even bothered to look at my posts.

One more thing. I’d like to give you an Airborne analogy about faith and life. The Jump Master tells you to " Stand up, hook up" that is you hitching yourself to Jesus, Then the JM, says “Stand in the door.” You are preparing to take a leap of faith. Then the jump light turns green, the JM, says “Go”. As your parachute opens easing you slowly and safely to the ground. That is Jesus supporting and guiding you. His chute always opens. As you get closer to the drop zone things become clearer. Jesus always has your back.
 
I am praying for you and your family. Praying for your future, and for all teens.
 
I am praying for you. I know that the Army can be rough and somtimes our units put alot of pressure on us. Try and talk with your Chaplin if you can. When I was in Iraq the first time I found that it really helps to sit down and talk with him. Keep your head and stay strong. Your doing great things for your self and your family.
 
Airborne I prayed for you today as I know many others have also. Always remember that God will never give you more than you can handle. Try to slow down and take “ONE” step at a time. God will answer your prayers but in his own time…
 
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