Prayer for teens

Father, I don't feel like loving my family today. I don't feel like loving my little sister. She hasn't done anything wrong. She's just there. And I want to be alone.

Love costs something every time. I want the easy version. I want to feel warm first and then act on it. But that's not how it works most days.

Help me act lovingly anyway. Let me make her a sandwich without making it a big deal. Don't let me roll my eyes when she walks into my room. Don't let me make a face when she asks me to play.

I can't make myself feel love. But I can choose not to be mean. Let the feeling catch up later, or not. The point is what I do.

You loved me before I was loveable. Teach me a small version of that, right here in our kitchen.

Amen.