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I Walked the Path
I walked the path of suffering -- I thought I was alone;
But soon I learned that others had heartaches like my own.
A legion came to join me -- an understanding throng;
To share and bear our burdens -- heal suffering with song.
I found courage in
their handclasp -- I found patience in their calm;
I found hope in faith's assurance -- I found healing in their balm.
I'm not alone in suffering -- I'm not alone in tears;
For those who weep with those who weep can wipe away my tears.
And too, when sore
affliction comes -- a dreary, rainy day;
I look inside my heart and find rich blessings stored away.
I take them from a treasure chest -- and count them o'er;
And think how good God's been to men -- why don't we trust Him more?
If all were sun
and sunshine -- if clouds would never weep;
Would little flowers lift their heads -- would sowers ever reap?
The valleys down below us, but emphasize the heights;
Low-hanging clouds about us are pierced with shafts of light.
If sickness never
hindered, and pain ne'er wrecked our frame;
Would days of health be cherished, if suffering never came?
In deeps of life's great ocean, may suffering be pearled;
And in the days of reck'ning be a gem of heaven's world.
-- A.C.Williams
(from the Minister's Monthly, November 1961)
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