I am Job,
the One of Multiplied Loss.
Family,
friends,
employment,
possessions,
reputation,
health,
value,
self –
all are added on Affliction’s Abacus.
Feeble fingers
let them slip,
great blood-drops
to a parched and greedy earth.
Having nothing more to hold,
I lift hands to heaven,
free to worship He who
gives and takes away,
Empty,
yet
so very
Full;
for who can I hold but You?
Who have I ever been
but Yours?
Ashes to ashes,
dust to dust,
naked I came,
and naked I am cursed to remain;
but it is here,
in the naked places,
that I choose Your raiment.
It is here, in the place of emptiness,
that I choose Your food.
I am Job ,
the One of Multiplied Gain…