When your life becomes unbearable
And the light of promise ceases to glow,
When all your dreams and aspirations
Lie dormant on ambition's death row.

When you feel that all is hopeless,
Life troubles just seem to abound.
When those you thought were supporters
Are suddenly nowhere to be found;

When weary from the struggle of trying
And you wonder to yourself, "What's the use?"
You fight on to do the best that you can
But once again, all hell breaks loose.

When things in your life become disjointed
And everything you touch turns stale.
When nerves are on edge from life's pressures,
And there's no breath with which to exhale.

When the road you are traveling gets bumpy
And the hills become harder to climb,
When the going gets tougher and tougher
And persist for a considerably long time.

Remember, it's not what you expect from life,
But rather, what life expects from you.
When the wind of quandary blows your way,
Life wants to see just how well you'll do.

You see, life is really like playing a game.
To win, you must play as it dictates.
If you follow its built-in survival rules,
Your troubles will miraculously dissipate.

So when you near the end of your rope
When your back is pressed to the wall.
When you're trapped all around by conditions
And you can scarcely move around at all.

Don't give up and wave surrender's flag.
Don't succumb to the goads of strife.
Don't hang your head in resignation,
Don't stop playing this game called life.

Just confront your troubles head on;
Face them all in prayer one by one.
You'll learn after a long or short while
The game of life can surely be won.

For your power will suddenly increase;
Your strength to fight on, He'll renew.
God will not forsake His own blessed child;
He cannot and will not fail you.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available soon.

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Blessings to all!