A few years ago, I was having an incredibly tough time in my life. I felt as though my world was crumbling. Everything seemed to be going wrong for me.

To start with, I was overworked and overwhelmed, trying to finish my pre-med degree while holding down a night job as a nurse. I was working through a hurtful breakup, my parents were going away for almost two months and I was alone in the house, and my computer crashed.

But these were only the minor things. The crisis was that I had received my score on the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test), a test that determines admittance into medical school. This was an exam I had studied for day and night for months.

I had done too poorly to gain entry. I was crushed.

Being a doctor was my lifelong dream. Yet after years of working as a nurse to pay my way through four long years of pre-med studies, I would have to kiss it all good-bye. I felt that all those years with little sleep and hard work were a total waste.

Mourning the loss of my aspirations, I was very depressed and desperate. I figured I should find another career since I didn't want to stay a nurse and constantly be reminded of a failed dream as I saw all the new, young doctors.

As I cried to my mother, who almost canceled her trip to be with me, she told me to pray and ask G-d for His help and guidance. That's all I could do, and so I did exactly that.

A few days later, a close friend was comforting me over the phone as I cried. He told me an anecdote about President Abraham Lincoln that I was not aware of. He told me that everything he did in his early life was failure, failure, failure, after failure. And then as we all know, he was a success. Those were my friend's words.

The very next day I was waiting in line at a store when something caught my attention. I looked up to see a computer monitor of some sort on the cashier's booth facing me.

On it was a picture of Abraham Lincoln -- and an inscription next to his image that said, "Failure, failure, failure, failure, success. Pass it on."

At that exact same second my cell phone rang. I picked it up and it was my friend, who had told me the night before almost these exact same words!

It was obvious to me that this was a message from G-d to not give up.

From that day on, things started getting better and the problems started fixing themselves. Most important, today I am halfway finished with medical school. I am preparing for my first board exam and am at the top of my class with a perfect grade point average.

It seems as though He wanted me to go in this direction and did not allow me to give up. I still receive messages from Him that direct me through my path in life and he always comes through.

I am sharing this with those who will read this because I believe G-d sent me a message that day in the store to "Pass it On." I hope so much that this will show you all that if you need help or guidance please do NOT hesitate to ask Him.

Be open to receiving miracles and allow yourself to be touched by the hand of G-d. Bless you all.

Tal Y.

New York