Bella Vista Church of Christ
LIFELINES
4/4/2018
A.C. Williams
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 come 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 o’er;
I think how good God’s been — 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 wracked 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