Struggles Poem by Michael Vestal

We all have had certain struggles in our lives
Some that we beat, but others are still a struggle
Some struggle with an addiction of some kind,
It takes hold and is very hard to get a handle on
My life has been a struggle, but I did not let that stop me.
I still did things I wanted to do in life, but in different ways than others
The struggles God gave me only made me stronger
He made me a more compassionate & loving person
He made me see life not as a challenge, but as a blessing
Life can be hard and unfair and can be cruel, heartless, painful,
Trying, disappointing, unapologetic, and frequently downright awful
But that's not important; what’s important is that through it all
You learn how much you need your Heavenly Father
Through Him, I learned to appreciate all which life has to offer
Even through my struggles in life, I still can live, laugh and love
When I am struggling, I look up towards the sky and say;
“Lord you take over and get me through this today.”
I believe my struggles in life allows me to write poetry
That even makes the ugliest of situations admirable or more beautiful
My struggles have taught me the value of loving someone passionately
And respect and cherish those who I hold near & dear.
If you ever feel like a drowned rat that’s being dragged through the mud,
All twisted up inside your mother’s prized quilt,
Having been tossed about by gale force winds that managed to entangle
You in barbed wire one-thousand miles from your goal
In the middle of a hot, barren nowhere void of any basic necessities
Then congratulations! You are no longer an observer,
But an actual participant in the game of life!
Stand up and keep living your life.