"...We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed". (2 Cor. 4:8, 9)

Do you ever feel that way?  I do.  What this portion of Scripture says to me is this:  Though I may be at the end of my rope I am NEVER at the end of my hope.
All my risks, all my humiliations, all my trials, all my failures, all my heartbreak, all my fears, all of these can be an opportunity for Christ to demonstrate His power and His presence in my life.  God will never abandon me or leave me alone to face what this life has to offer.  He gives me strength when I am weak, He comforts me when I am hurt, He picks me up when I fall, and He protects me when others come against me. God is so good and so faithful and because of His desire to commune with us, to communicate His love for us, to show His kindness to us, He saved us through the blood of His dearly beloved Son, Jesus Christ!  When I am struggling here on this earth, I remember what Christ did for me so that I could have hope.  If you are in a situation that feels hopeless, may I encourage you by saying there is no problem too hard for God. If you have given your heart to the Lord then His Spirit lives in you.  The very Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you and gives you strength to move forward.  I  want you each to know that I am writing to you because of the hope I have in Him "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20).  I often think of the words from a song I heard many years ago:

"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone, Because I know who holds the future, Life is worth the living just because He lives."  May you think on these words also and find your hope and strength in Him.