No Other Way? (Poem)

No Other Way?

Is there no other way open, God,
Except through sorrow, pain, and loss,
To stamp Christ’s likeness on my soul -
No other way except the cross?

And then a voice stills all my soul,
As stilled the waves of Galilee,
"Can’st thou not bear the furnace heat
If midst the flames I walk with thee?

"I bore the cross. I know its weight.
I drank the cup I hold for thee.
Can’st thou not follow where I lead?
I’ll give thee strength. Lean hard on Me."

~Author Unknown~

Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28