I read the news and most of it were bleak - the economy collapsing, people perishing and disasters happening. I just longed for a little more postive energy to perk me up.
I suddenly thought of the old Christian hymn, "Blessed Assurance," and kept humming to, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!...."The lyrics were beautiful and very inspiring. I decided to search about the writer online.
What I found out made me feel utterly ashamed of my weakening attitude! Allow me to share.
The writer was Fanny Crosby (born March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915). She had been blind all her life - yet became the greatest hymn writer in the history of the Christian Church. More than 8,000 of her poems became songs, and over 100,000,000 copies of her songs have been printed. Fanny gave us beautiful songs such as: Blessed Assurance, To God be the Glory, All the Way My Saviour Leads Me and many more. Even today, we sing her songs in church - without knowing its history!
Can you imagine, she wrote this poem about her blindness when she was only 8 years old!
I suddenly thought of the old Christian hymn, "Blessed Assurance," and kept humming to, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!...."The lyrics were beautiful and very inspiring. I decided to search about the writer online.
What I found out made me feel utterly ashamed of my weakening attitude! Allow me to share.
The writer was Fanny Crosby (born March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915). She had been blind all her life - yet became the greatest hymn writer in the history of the Christian Church. More than 8,000 of her poems became songs, and over 100,000,000 copies of her songs have been printed. Fanny gave us beautiful songs such as: Blessed Assurance, To God be the Glory, All the Way My Saviour Leads Me and many more. Even today, we sing her songs in church - without knowing its history!
Can you imagine, she wrote this poem about her blindness when she was only 8 years old!
Oh what a happy soul I am,
Although I cannot see;
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy,
That other people don't;
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot, and I won't.
Fanny also said :"It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me."
Wikipedia quotes Fanny saying, "When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior".When asked about her blindness, she was reported as saying that "had it not been for her affliction she might not have so good an education or have so great an influence, and certainly not so fine a memory".
Words of a person who was BLIND all her life! How admirable is that!
Fanny has made me remember something - contentment and happiness doesn't depend on situations. It's purely the ATTITUDE of the heart.
May we make God proud.
JJ
No comments:
Post a Comment