AN “AMERICA’S HYMN QUEEN” FRANCES JANE CROSBY GOT BLIND @ 6WEEKS OLD,

She is best remembered for the nearly 9,000 hymns she wrote, including “Blessed Assurance,” “Saved by Grace,” “Draw Me Nearer,” “Safe in the Arms of Jesus,” “All the Way My Saviour leads Me,” “To God Be the Glory,” “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross,” and “ I am Thine, O Lord.”

Mercy Crosby held her tiny daughter’s hands as little Fanny’s face contorted in a scream of agony.
“Doctor, are you sure you have to do this to her?”
Mercy asked through her tears of anguish.
“Mrs. Crosby, I know it’s hard to hear little Fanny scream like this, but we must draw out the infection.
These hot mustard poultices are the best way to do it.”
“But she’s so small, only six weeks old. Maybe we should wait until our regular doctor returns to town.” Mercy tried to shut out Fanny’s screams, but it proved too difficult. If anything, her screams were increasing in volume.
The traveling doctor replied impatiently. “Mrs. Crosby, as I told you, waiting would only make the infection worse. I know the treatment hurts Fanny, but it’s much better to treat the infection immediately. You never know what could happen if an eye infection is left untreated.”
Mercy reluctantly accepted the doctor’s diagnosis. Although Fanny’s screams eventually subsided to a pitiful whimper, they still lingered on in Mercy’s memory. The infection in Fanny’s eyes went away, but her corneas had been burnt in the process, and scars began to form over them. In the weeks that followed, long after the unknown doctor had left town, John and Mercy Crosby realized that Fanny was not reacting to visual stimuli. Soon enough, their worst fears were confirmed – young Frances Jane Crosby was blind.

Blind at a very tender age, young Fanny Crosby’s ordeal wasn’t over yet. Just a year after she was blinded by the incompetent doctor, her father caught a chill while working in the cold November rain and died soon afterwards. Twenty-one-year-old Mercy Crosby was left to provide for herself and her daughter. This she did by seeking employment as a maid. Fanny’s grandmother Eunice cared for her during the day, and the two became very close. She took the time to help Fanny “see” the world around her by describing to her the sights around in as vivid detail as possible, the intricate details of the flowers and birds around her, as well as the beauty of sunrise and sunset.
Eunice Crosby also spent many hours reading the Bible to fanny and teaching her the importance of prayer and a close relationship with God. She quickly discovered that Fanny had an amazing capacity for memorization and encouraged her to learn large passages of Scriptures by heart. Fanny memorized several chapters each week and could quote the Pentateuch, the Gospels, Proverbs Song of Solomon, and many of the Psalms, and in her own words, “The Holy Book has nurtured my entire life.’ This nurturing started very early in her life due to the influence and teaching of her grandmother. Fanny would later write, “My grandmother was more to me than I can ever express by word or pen.”
If anyone had a right to be angry with God and the world because of their circumstances, it was Fanny Crosby. But instead, she rose above her situation. Though blind, she didn’t consider herself handicapped. She did many of the things other children did, accepted her blindness with positive attitude, and started writing poems from the age of eight. She maintained this positive outlook all her life and considered her blindness a blessing, not the curse many would be tempted to call it. As she once stated, “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.”
Frances Jane Crosby, though physically challenged right from when she was a six-weeks-old baby, rose to become “America’s Hymn Queen.” She is best remembered for the nearly 9,000 hymns she wrote, including “Blessed Assurance,” “Saved by Grace,” “Draw Me Nearer,” “Safe in the Arms of Jesus,” “All the Way My Saviour leads Me,” “To God Be the Glory,” “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross,” and “ I am Thine, O Lord.”
Written centuries ago, Fanny’s hymns appealed to the valid experience of Christian life, and have stood the test of time. These hymns are some of most widely sung hymns in churches till today. Fanny Crosby stood out and stood tall in her generation.
You can too can make a great impact on your generation if you will harness you God-given potential, and make the best use of it.
 Culled from Christian Mobile.com