By the time she was 58 years old, she had lived enough to
say something to a neighbor who had his own opinion of life’s rewards. Francis
Jane Crosby, most commonly known as Fanny, was also opinionated about life and bold
enough to express herself, not just to those within earshot, but to the whole
world. That must have been on her mind as she penned the words “Take the World,
But Give Me Jesus”, the declaration of a woman who had much to draw upon for
that expression. What made her say them
on that particular occasion? What would it be like to have the ability to
ignore the world (see picture here), particularly when it abuses you?
There could have been any number of inspirations for the
advice that Fanny mouthed to a neighbor that day in 1878. She was a walking
fountain of sagacity, when it came to life counseling. She stuck with one central
theme – Jesus Christ -- throughout. Blinded at six weeks old, the mother of an
infant who died, living many of her days in poverty-stricken areas – Fanny
could have said many downbeat things about the events of her life. But, here was a poetess-hymnist who would
eventually write some eight thousand hymns, even though she reportedly began
composing only in her 40’s. That would mean she was writing a poem that would
be set to music about every other day of
her life, on average, from her middle age up to her death at 95. By 1878,
she’d been deeply engaged in mission work in difficult circumstances, including
in the heart of America’s largest metropolis, New York City, where she probably
was when “Take the World…” was composed. It was a place where she apparently listened
to the deep hurt and complaint of one neighbor, day after day. He reportedly had
grown bitter about what he lacked, and dreamed of being a man of means and
notoriety. Fanny told him what she
thought, and her own words stuck with her, perhaps a clue to her musical spirit
that this was one message she should record. If you’re disappointed with life’s
offering, just tell yourself that the world can keep itself. You have an
alternative, one that cannot be stripped from your grasp, Fanny says repeatedly
in her verses.
Did the neighbor miss Fanny’s prescription for happiness In spite
wealth’s abandonment? She delivered it without hesitation or expectation of compensation.
Obviously,
she was trying to tell him that his poverty should be driving him to the
other-world riches that God provides. How many poor could be fed with what He
is capable of providing? Do we think His feeding thousands in a wilderness is
just a fable? Or, have we just not
really experienced the vast sum of His benevolence, the potential He can bring
to bear? What would it mean to be in contact with the One who has no limits?
Whoa…see if you can imagine that one. That’s a message us earth-dwellers have a
hard time embracing, until our vision sees past, around, or through this globe’s
prism. See like Fanny could, for that’s
the way to contact the infinite God.
See the following sites for information on the composer, and
the very brief account of the song’s story:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Crosby
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