I just spent several hours observing teenagers who were
hanging out at our local mall. I came to the conclusion that
many teenagers in America are living in poverty. Most of the
young men I observed didn't even own a belt; there was not
one among the whole group.

But that wasn't the sad part -- many of them were wearing
their daddy's jeans. Some of these jeans were so big and
baggy that they hung low on their hips, exposing their
underwear. I know some of them must have been ashamed that
their daddies were short, because the jeans hardly went
below their knees. They weren't even their daddies' good
jeans, for most of them had holes ripped in the knees and
had a dirty look to them. It grieved me that in a modern,
affluent society like America, there are people who can't
afford a decent pair of jeans. I have been thinking about
asking my church to start a jeans drive for the "poor kids
at the mall."

I don't think this group of guys even had much to eat,
because as they were walking, their heads leaned to one side
as if they didn't have enough strength to keep them up. Oh,
they tried. With each step, they tried to lift them up, but
to no avail: they always dropped back to the side. This
group of guys must be from the same family, because they all
walked with their heads bobbing together in the same manner.

But that wasn't the saddest part. It was the girls they were
hanging out with that disturbed me the most. I have never in
all of my life seen such "poor" girls. These girls had the
opposite problem of the guys -- they all had to wear their
little sisters' clothes. Their jeans were about five sizes
too small. I don't know how they could even put them on, let
alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their
hipbones.

Most of them also had on their little sisters' tops; it
hardly covered their midsections. Oh, they were trying to
hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight to
see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes.

However, it was their underwear that bothered me the most.
They, like the boys, because of the improper fitting of
their clothes, also had their underwear exposed. I have
never seen anything like it. It looked like their underwear
was only held together by a single piece of string.

I know it also saddens your heart to receive this report on
the condition of our American teenagers. While I go to bed
every night with a closet full of clothes nearby, there are
millions of "mall girls" who barely have enough material to
keep it together. I think their "poorness" is why these two
groups gather at the mall, the boys with their short
daddies' ripped jeans, and the girls wearing their younger
sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can find
acceptance.

So, the next time you are at the mall doing your shopping
and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you say
a prayer for them?