A Graduate’s Prayer by Pam Youmans
Dear God,
I’ve got a problem. I’m graduating in a couple of days and the world is outside waiting for me. But it’s seem so big and messed up. dont know if I reallt want to step into in.
I have some idea of what I want to do. But God, what if it isn’t right for me? I’m so scared that I won’t make the right choice.
I believe I have a purpose, but how do I know what that is? And, how will i know I’m fulfilling my purpose?
I want to get a lot out of life, but I don’t know exactly what.
I know I want to see a child’s face light up with joy, and i want to see people talking to each other and showing their love for each other.
But more then than all this, I want to beable to laugh, and cry and communicate, and love. I want to to be able to love everyone; yet how can I do that when hate wells up in me? I want to be patient and understanding, but in a world filled with indifference, pessimism, and doubt, how can i hope to accomplish my noble goals?
I want to understand myself and other, but I can’t understand other until I understand myself. How, Lord?
I want other people to love and understand me too, but it’s so hard to make things clear when people won’t listen and have already made up their minds. I want to have an open mind, but subtle prejudices too often seen to cloud my life.
I want all of my fears of future to be dismissed, so that only the hopes remain. But is this possible?
I want to know, see experience true happiness, but, God, how can I when I know there is poverty, hunger, and death? Yet what can I do about the world’s problems? I’m one, one person.
