Childhood Blindness Becomes Divine Purpose
Fanny Crosby lost her sight at six weeks old due to a doctor's mistake. A careless treatment for an eye infection left her completely blind for life. Yet she would become one of history's greatest hymn writers, composing over 8,000 hymns including "Blessed Assurance," "To God Be the Glory," and "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior."
But it was not her blindness that defined her - it was her remarkable attitude toward it. "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life," Fanny wrote, "and I thank Him for the dispensation."
At age eight, she wrote a poem that revealed her extraordinary spirit: "Oh what a happy soul am I! Although I cannot see, I am resolved that in this world Contented I will be."
Salvation Experience at Revival Meeting
Though raised in a Christian home, Fanny's deepest spiritual transformation came during a revival meeting in 1850. At a Methodist church in New York City, she was kneeling at the altar when suddenly the joy of salvation flooded her soul. "For the first time I realized that I had been trying to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other," she wrote.
That night, returning to her room, Fanny experienced an overwhelming sense of God's presence. She later testified: "My very soul was flooded with celestial light. I sprang to my feet, shouting Hallelujah!"
Legacy of Faith Through Hymns
From that encounter flowed thousands of hymns that have comforted millions. When asked if she regretted her blindness, Fanny replied: "If I could meet my Maker and ask for sight, I would not do it. The first face I ever see will be the face of Jesus."
