How to Be a Joy Bomb!—Fanny Crosby

Claire Black: This is True Girl a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us one drive at a time!

Welcome to the second episode of the “Incredible Influencers” series! 

Here’s a question for you, “Who do you look up to?” Is there a woman in your life who you think is amazing? Maybe it’s your mom, your grandma, your big sister . . . or all three! Often we look up to people because they’ve been strong even when things are hard.

Today, Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph are going to introduce you to someone named Fanny Crosby. If you go to a church that sings from a hymnal, a bunch of those songs were written by Fanny! Her life story is going to teach you so much about having joy in the midst of hard things. Fanny had a big difficulty—you’ll hear what it was in just a bit—but it sure didn’t slow her down or keep her from using the gifts God gave her.

Just a reminder, we had a little help with this season of the True Girl podcast. Have you and your mom checked out The Good Book Company yet? Their Do Great Things for God book series is so inspiring and fun that we based this whole season on it! You can find those Christian biographies for girls at TheGoodBook.com.

Now, let’s listen to episode 2 called, “How to Be a Joy Bomb!” Take it away, Dannah and Staci.

Dannah Gresh: Staci, this old church is so awesome! Those stained-glass windows are beautiful!

Staci Rudolph: I know, right? I’ve just been sitting in here for a bit, just sort of taking it all in. Come over and look at this old piano. Isn’t it so amazing?

Dannah: Oh wow, I wish I could just sit and play beautiful music for hours and hours. I took piano lessons when I was a kid, but I just didn’t keep up. I regret that so much.

Staci: Well, you know it’s never too late to start again, Dannah. But listen, this piano is one of the reasons I had you meet me here to listen to the story of Fanny Crosby.

Dannah: Ah, yes, I’m so excited! This Do Great Things for God series from The Good Book Company is fantastic! 

Staci: For sure. One thing Fanny Crosby is known for is all the songs she wrote. The songs are called “hymns,” and a lot of churches sing her songs on Sunday mornings.

Dannah: Who wrote the book on Fanny Crosby? 

Staci: Laura Caputo-Wickham, and it’s illustrated by Jess Rose. This one is called Fanny Crosby: The Girl Who Couldn’t See but Helped the World to Sing. Go ahead and have a seat on that front pew, Dannah, and I’ll start reading it.

Dannah: I love this! Go ahead, Staci. I am your captive audience.

Staci: Great. Okay. Ahem . . .

Baby Frances—or Fanny, as everyone called her—was only six weeks old when she became blind. One day she could see, and the next . . . she couldn’t. But she could still feel the warmth of her mummy’s cuddles . . .

Staci: Okay, mummy, clearly this was published in the United Kingdom. I love that! “Mummy’s cuddles.” Okay, I digress. Back to it.

. . . and smell her nice perfume. She could hear her sisters singing and taste the sweetness of fruit.

And that, for Fanny, was enough, because not only was Fanny a happy girl, always looking for reasons to be thankful; she was also extremely, incredibly, amazingly smart!

Dannah: Wow! So she was blind ever since she was a baby? 

Staci: Yep, a nd she was super, super smart! Listen to this:

By the age of ten, Fanny had already memorized eight books of the Bible. She could knit, climb, play sports, and write poetry. 

“What a pity you can’t see,” people often said. But Fanny wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“The first thing my eyes will ever see will be the face of Jesus in heaven,” she’d reply. And this filled her with joy.

Dannah: I’m so inspired that her joy came from thinking about seeing Jesus one day face to face in heaven! And you know, it sounds like Fanny was a real “joy bomb!” You know? Someone who just explodes with joy.

Staci: Ha ha, yes, Fanny the joy bomb! I complain about all kinds of things, and she was actually thankful that she couldn’t see. 

Dannah: It’s very inspiring. Hey, just a sec. When was Fanny born? 

Staci: Great question. She lived from 1820 to 1915. So, it was a pretty long time ago. Alright now, let’s see how Fanny was at school. 

When Fanny was offered a place at a school for blind children in New York, she was thrilled! 

And though she missed her family, she enjoyed being with other children like herself. 

Together, they’d get up to all sorts of mischief, like the night they sneaked into the school’s fruit and vegetable garden for a cheeky midnight snack. 

Dannah: Last week we learned that Amy Carmichael was kind of a troublemaker, too. Interesting . . . 

Staci: Ha ha, yeah, that is pretty interesting.

At school, Fanny practiced her poetry and wrote beautiful verses that she shared with her family and friends. 

“You’re such a great poet, Fanny!” they’d say.

Then, one night she had a dream. 

In her dream, Fanny was following a big and bright star that took her to the gates of heaven. 

“May I go in?” she asked. 

“Not yet, Fanny,” a voice replied. 

“But I will open the gates, just a little, so that you can hear one burst of eternal music.”

That’s when Fanny heard the most beautiful sound that her ears had ever heard. Not long after that, she began writing songs about God.

And what wonderful songs she wrote!

Dannah: Isn’t it amazing how God can speak to us in all sorts of ways? What an amazing dream! It sparked something in her to write music for God! 

Staci: Yeah, that was way more than an “I had pizza before bed” dream! Listen to how she wrote those songs.

Her hymns helped many people to feel closer to God and were so popular that she soon found herself writing six or seven a day! 

But every time, before even starting, Fanny would stop and pray, asking for God’s help.

Sometimes, Fanny wrote the words first, which would then be turned into music. Other times, it went the other way round.

One day, a friend played a tune and asked, “What do you think it says, Fanny?”

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,” she replied. 

And, just like that, one of her most famous hymns was born—a hymn that tells us that there’s great happiness (or blessing) in knowing for sure (having assurance) that Jesus loves us and is with us.

Another day, a musician knocked on Fanny’s door. 

“Help me, Fanny!” he said. “I’ve written the music; can you write the words? And could you do it quickly? I have a train to catch.” 

He hummed the tune, and Fanny wrote the hymn “Safe in the Arms of Jesus” in just fifteen minutes!

Fanny loved to write songs about Jesus. This one tells us that because Jesus is so kind, His friends don’t need to be scared of anything.

When asked how many hymns she’d written in her lifetime, Fanny would mull it over and say, 

“Over five thousand.” 

Staci: You know, Dannah, the notes in the back of this book say that they think Fanny actually wrote nine thousand songs!

Dannah: Oh my goodness! How did she even keep track of that? Her mind truly must have been incredible.

Staci: For sure. The end of the book says that, 

Fanny lived a busy and long life—“a life of joy and sunshine,” as she liked to describe it.

Dannah: That sounds like a great way to describe her!

Staci:

One of her favorite Scripture verses was Psalm 100, verse 2:

Serve the LORD with gladness, come before him with joyful songs. 

And that’s exactly what Fanny did . . . right until the end.

And over 100 years later, we still sing her songs, knowing that Fanny is now safe in the arms of Jesus.

Staci: The end!

Dannah: Wow! Thank you so much, Staci. That story deeply encouraged me. I’m adding Fanny Crosby to my Hero List!

You know, this really stirs me. I’m so burdened by all the so-called influencers, social media, and our celebrity culture puts on pedestals. I long for my True Girl family to look to these kinds of women to follow.

Staci: Me, too! Fanny didn’t let her setback stop her from serving God. I want to be like that!

Well, which story are you reading next week, Dannah?

Dannah: Her name is Betsey Stockton, and she went on a very long boat ride.

Staci: Hmm, intriguing. Wanna sit here for a minute with me and then go around the corner for ice cream?

Dannah: That would be perfect. Hmm, I wonder who that is? Staci, look, that guy’s gonna play the piano. Wouldn’t it be amazing if . . .

Staci: . . . he played a Fanny Crosby song?

Dannah: Yes.

Staci: Well, there it is! “To God Be the Glory” by the one and only Fanny Crosby!

Claire Black: Nine thousand songs? Wow, that’s amazing! Fanny Crosby must have been thinking about praising God all the time—24/7! 

Does that inspire you to try to write a song or two? You totally should try it! Maybe start by writing a poem about God, and then see if you can sing it. 

Hey mom, if you’re enjoying these Christian biographies for your daughter, you might love two booklets we compiled at Revive Our Hearts. They contain the stories of twenty Incredible Influencers who had kind of unremarkable lives. That’s why we titled our booklets (Un)remarkable: Ten Women Who Impacted their World for Christ and (Un)remarkable Vol 2: Ten (More) Women who Impacted Their World for Christ. You can get those at ReviveOurHearts.com and have your own read aloud time with your True Girl!

At True Girl, we’re all about connecting moms+daughters while you both grow closer to God. Those of you who receive the True Girl Subscription box definitely know that! If you don’t subscribe yet, maybe you and your mom can check it out at MyTrueGirl.com sometime soon.

Next time on the True Girl podcast, you’re going to meet a girl who started as a slave . . . and ended up in a palace surrounded by palm trees. Her name is Betsey Stockton, and you’re going to love her story. I just hope you don’t get seasick along the way.

Anyway, see ya next time, right here on the True Girl podcast!

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ!

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