When I was a teen, I went along with the crowd.

I hung out with kids who drank and were on drugs.

I swore, cursed and expressed my thoughts out loud.

But when it came to trouble I always got caught.

My friends were different; they got away.

We were in gangs back then and when we were threatened, we fought.

I would go home in a cop car if I did anything wrong.

In the mist of confusion I knew I wasn’t where I belonged.

I went to Sunday School and ask God “Why Lord, why me?”

“Why do I get caught while my friends seem to go free?”

The Lord answered, “It is because I have great plans for you.”

I did not know the Bible, but what the Lord said, somehow I knew.

As time passed I hung out with the crowd much less than the start.

I wanted to be my own person and I welcomed God in my heart.

So I served God and country and continued with school.

When I came back to the neighborhood, my friends didn’t seem so cool.

Some were in prison and others looked very worn out and pale.

Some were on drugs and others spent time in jail.

I am glad those days are over and I have finally found my way.

For our Father in Heaven has plans for every one of his children.

May God's eternal light shine on you each and every day.

Reference: Jeremiah 29:11-13

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."