DO NOT DESPAIR. . .

As I was loooking through my scriptures trying to decide on a topic for my blog message today, I came across a poem recently given to me by a friend. I liked the poem and would like to share it because it has a great message for those experiencing great hardships and difficulties in their lives. The poem is entitled "DON'T QUIT" and the author is unknown:

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile but you have to sign,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turn about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems afar
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem the worst that you mustn't quit.

The scriptures are just full of examples of people who have faced great tests. Job is probably the poster child of hardship. Ammon, in the Book of Mormon, is another person in the scriptures that faced overwhelming trials but he never gave up. And how about Joseph Smith and the early pioneers and all they endured to have the true gospel of Jesus Christ?

If you ever need a little boost to keep you going, pick up your scriptures and read about the great examples of faith and courage. Your own courage will be restored.

Love, Kathi