| Oh, what a happy child I am! by Clint Nobles |
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| Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Col. 3:16) Not too long ago I was depressed, my determination level had plummeted; I knew that it was going to be one of those days where nothing goes right. Any way, I walked over to a shelf where we keep various books, I reached to the top and pulled down a book of quotes, but in doing so I accidentally pulled several other books along with it. As I bent down to pick up the mess, I noticed one particular book about great Christians of our past. The title aroused my interest so I set the book aside and finished my self-inflicted chore. I opened the book and to my surprise the story was about Fanny Crosby, the most prolific writer of gospel songs and hymns of all time. Fanny was blinded by the blundering of a quack doctor when she was only six months old, some of her determination was revealed in her first poem. At the age of eight, Fanny Crosby wrote her true feelings: 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 and I won't! Her determination was only excelled by her love of God, for by the time she was a teenager she has memorized the first five books of the Old Testament, the four Gospels, many Psalms, and all of Proverbs, Ruth, and the Song of Solomon. Again her spirit for living was observed when she learned how to play the guitar, piano, organ, and the harp. At the age of fifteen she entered the New York City Institute for the Blind as a student and remained there as a faculty member. During the nineteenth century, there arose a great need for new hymns that were doctrinally sound, could reach the heart, and could easily be sung and remembered. So a Christian musician by the name of William Bradbury persuaded Fanny Crosby to write the words to some of the hymns she had composed. Bradbury did not know what he had started, for by the time Fanny was ninety-five years old she had written more then eight thousand hymns and more then one thousand poems. Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Charles Finny are just a few of the gospel evangelists who proudly sang before thousands of people the anointed words of Fanny Crosby in songs such as: "Pass Me Not," "Jesus Is Calling," "Blessed Assurance," "Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus Our Blessed Redeemer," "To God Be The Glory," and many others. As I neared the end of the book, I suddenly realized that my spirit had returned! I was happy and now was enjoying my day. I had learned a valuable lesson from a woman I had never met, one that did not even live in my lifetime. She helped me realize that faith in God can take you anywhere, from the lowest valley, to the highest mountain top. I was given clearer vision from a woman who could not see. The best way to end this article, I suppose, is with Fanny Crosby's own words: When my life-work is ended, and I cross that swelling tide, When the bright and glorious morning I shall see; I shall know my redeemer when I reach the other side, And his smile will be the first to welcome me. |