YOU, TOO

YOU, TOO, WERE BETRAYED.
YOU, TOO, WERE HURT BEYOND MEASURE.
YOU, TOO, WERE SAD.
YOU, TOO, CRIED.
PETER DENIED EVEN KNOWING YOU,
THREE TIMES.
BUT YOU  WERE INNOCENT.
I AM NOT.
YOU SHED YOUR BLOOD.
I DID NOT.
YOU FORGAVE.
I HAVE NOT.
I WAS SHOVED.
YOU WERE CRUCIFIED.
SO WHY AM I COMPLAINING?
YOU HAVE TOLD ME IN YOUR WORD
THAT YOU WILL NEVER PUT ME THROUGH
SOMETHING I CANNOT HANDLE.
AND SUFFERING PRODUCES PERSEVERANCE,
PERSEVERANCE, CHARACTER,
AND CHARACTER, HOPE.
AND HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT.
AND AT THE END OF THIS RACE,
AT THE BEGINNING OF ETERNITY
ALL WILL BE FORGOTTEN
AND I WILL NOT BE SAD.
I WILL NOT BE HURT.
I WILL NOT BE BETRAYED.
AND I WILL NEVER CRY AGAIN.
(YOU WILL BE ABLE TO THROW AWAY
ALL OF THOSE TEARS YOU'VE COLLECTED.)
I WILL SEE YOU FACE-TO-FACE,
AND EVERYTHING WILL BE EXPLAINED.
I SHALL NEVER AGAIN BE BETRAYED.
JOY WILL ABOUND.
I WILL BE REUNITED
WITH MY GRANDMA BILLIE AND GRANDMA BETTIE,
AND THE THREE OF US WILL WRITE OUR POETRY,
ALL TO YOUR GLORY.
SOUNDS LIKE HEAVEN TO ME.

2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-19

THEREFORE, IN ORDER TO KEEP ME FROM BECOMING CONCEITED, I WAS GIVEN A THORN IN MY FLESH, A MESSENGER OF SATAN, TO TORMENT ME.  THREE TIMES I PLEADED WITH THE LORD TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME.  BUT HE SAID TO ME, "MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU, FOR MY POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS."  THEREFORE I WILL BOAST ALL THE MORE GLADLY ABOUT MY WEAKNESSES, SO THAT CHRIST'S POWER MAY REST ON ME.  THAT IS WHY, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE,  I DELIGHT IN WEAKNESSES, AND INSULTS, IN HARDSHIPS, IN PERSECUTIONS.  FOR WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG.