Seeing with the Heart

Francis was just 6 weeks old when she became ill in the spring of 1820. The family doctor was out of town, and a charlatan pretending to be a doctor prescribed a treatment that rendered the baby completely blind, although she recovered from the initial illness. A few months later, her father died, and her mother went to work as a maid to support the family. She was raised by her grandmother, a devoted Christian who taught her granddaughter from the Bible.

At the age of 8, the little girl wrote this poem,

“Oh, what a happy soul I am,

Although I cannot see!

I am resolved that in this world

Contented I will be.”

The little girl was encouraged to work to the best of her abilities, and not to view herself as limited by blindness. She carried that resourceful attitude throughout her 94 years of living, and during her lifetime penned over 9,000 hymns.

You may not have heard of Fanny Crosby, but if you’ve ever sung or listened to favorite hymns in church, chances are you’ve heard her music.

She poured out her heart writing hymns, many of which are still sung today, nearly 200 years after her birth. Songs such as “Blessed Assurance” and “To God be the Glory” are treasured classics in many denominations.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

Fanny Crosby was struck blind as an infant, but she allowed the Lord to shape her story, and used her talents to praise Him, and inspire others to do the same.

Let’s pray.

Lord, the story of Fanny Crosby is an encouraging reminder to rely on you, no matter our circumstances. You had a plan for her life from the very beginning, and the songs you wrote on her heart continue to inspire us today as we worship Your Holy Name. Thank you for writing Fanny’s story so beautifully. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Chapters

• 0:00 A Tragic Beginning
• 0:16 Loss, Faith, and Early Resilience
• 0:26 A Child’s Declaration of Joy
• 0:45 A Life of Hymns
• 1:16 Songs That Shaped The Church
• 1:22 Prayer and Reflection

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

Frances was just six weeks old when she became ill in the spring of 1820. The family doctor was out of town, and a charlatan, pretending to be a doctor, prescribed a treatment that rendered the baby completely blind, although she recovered from the initial illness. A few months later, her father died, and her mother went to work as a maid to support the family. She was raised by her grandmother, a devoted Christian who taught her granddaughter from the Bible. At the age of eight, the little girl wrote this poem. Oh, what a happy soul I am, although I cannot see. I am resolved that in this world, contented, I will be. The little girl was encouraged to work to the best of her abilities and not to view herself as limited by blindness. She carried that resourceful attitude throughout her 94 years of living and during her lifetime penned over 9,000 hymns. You may not have heard of Fanny Crosby, but if you've ever sung or listened to favorite hymns in the church, chances are you've heard her music. She poured out her heart writing hymns, many of which are still sung today, nearly 200 years after her birth. Songs such as Blessed Assurance and To God be the Glory are treasured classics in many denominations. This is my story. This is my song, praising my savior all the day long. Fanny Crosby was struck blind as an infant, but she allowed the Lord to shape her story and used her talents to praise him and inspire others to do the same. Let's pray. Lord, the story of Fanny Crosby is an encouraging reminder to rely on you no matter our circumstances. You had a plan for her life from the very beginning, and the songs you wrote on her heart continue to inspire us today as we worship your holy name. Thank you for writing Fanny's story so beautifully. In Jesus' name. Amen.