Heart Reflections Live

How inspiring to me is the life of the great hymn writer, Fanny Crosby."She hath done what she could..." was the very apt scripture portion used as her epitaph.And what she could do!!

Fanny was determined from childhood not to be seen as handicapped.She could climb trees & even ride horses bareback!! Her lack of sight helped her develop her listening & memory skills to the point where she could recite by rote not only the entire Pentateuch, & all 4 gospels, but also many Psalms, all of Proverbs, all of Ruth, & Song of Solomon!! By the end of her life, she had written around 8000 hymns.

Fanny's secret was true contentment in Christ, and God's Providence. She saw the doctor's error, that caused her blindness, not as a lifelong personal tragedy, but as a great gift. Her life is testament to that fact.

Here is one of the first verses she wrote, at the age of 8:

Oh, what a happy child 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!
So weep or sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot- nor I won't.

We all have things that hinder us, things we can & can't do. Let's take a contentment leaf from Aunt Fanny's book, resolve to do what we can, be at peace about what we truly can't & Bloom where we are planted with all our might for Christ!!!

Labels: contentment, Fanny Crosby, Hymn writer, Poem, Quote