Lord,
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, when the road I'm trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high, and I want to smile but I have to sigh,
When care is pressing me down a bit...
Grant me rest, but help me not to quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about when he might have won had he stuck it out.
May I not give up though the pace seems slow,
For I 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.
Help me to see that success is failure turned inside out,
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and when I cannot tell how close I am, may I have faith that my goal is near.
Help me to stick to the fight when I'm hardest hit,
that when things seem worst, I may not quit.
I ask this through Christ, Our Lord,
Amen.
Adapted from a Poem by Edgar A. Guest
