Dear Teen Son, God’s Not Done With You Yet

Dear son,

I know you struggle to like everything about yourself these days. I know it’s hard lingering on the cusp of becoming a man. I know you wish you had a different body, one that was built bigger and looked older. I know you don’t feel like you’re tall enough, strong enough, or popular enough. I know you feel like you can’t keep up with the fast-moving, ever-changing social circles, and you’re not exactly sure where you fit in. I know you worry if you’ll ever pass over that threshold of manhood so many of your friends already have crossed.

It’s a tough time for you right now. This in-between place where you’re not a kid, but you’re not quite a man. And waiting for things to change can be agonizing.

RELATED: To My Son As He Becomes a Teen

This grey shade on your timeline sometimes feels like you’re stuck, just looking for the colors to come.

I know.

But I want you to understand something . . . 

God’s not done with you yet.

Where you are right now might be difficult to understand and accept, but God created you to grow at His perfect pace in His perfect time. Although you want to be so much further along than you are and you wish for things to be different, I already see you maturing into the man God designed you to be.

You may not feel like you are transforming into that man, but it is happening already. I see every detail coming to fruition when I look at you, when I watch you do the things you do and choose the things you choose.

I notice your face thinning, your shoulders broadening, your eyes shifting, your stature lifting into a handsome, strong young man.

I notice your choices in friends that reflect your character and the values you boldly uphold. 

I notice your compassionate heart when you serve the homeless every week, their prayer requests taped to your bathroom mirror to remind you to pray for them. 

I notice how kind and respectful you are to others, how you always tune in to other people’s needs and respond accordingly. 

I notice your maturity and wisdom when you manage so many responsibilities well. 

RELATED: So God Made Teenagers

I notice God’s light shining brightly within you, beaming growth and goodness you just don’t see.

But I do.

I notice it all, dear son.

All of these things I see are the character traits of a Godly man.

He is doing a great work in you.

So be patient with these growing pains.

God’s not done with you yet.

There is so much going on inside that body of yours right now. There’s even more going on inside that precious heart of yours, too.

Oh, dear son, you are changing faster than you know.

Allow all of these intricate details of who are to emerge in your own unique and extraordinary way.

Be patient, sweet son.

RELATED: Even As I’m Letting Go, You’ll Always Be My Little Boy

God is still molding and sculpting you into the man He designed you to be.

And all good things take time.

God’s not done with you yet.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

May you know that full well.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 138:14 NIV).

This book has been a go-to for our boys as they transition into young men. We thought yours might like it, too! Is he too busy to sit and read? No sweat. He can listen to it here, on Audible.

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