A Look Above
by Kathy White
Title
A Look Above
Artist
Kathy White
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
It never ceases to amaze me, looking DOWN at the clouds! This photograph was taken on our long flight to beautiful Alaska. The quote chosen for this photograph is taken from a beloved hymn by Annie Johnson Flint. The hymn describes the wonderful comfort and strength that God has given to us if we only "Look Above" to Him. The words to the hymn are as follows--
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river, turbid and deep.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
The most amazing thing to me was when I read the story of the author of those beautiful hymns or poems. Her poetry and songs are uplifting and encouraging even though she suffered greatly throughout most of her life.
Annie was born on Christmas eve in 1866, at Vineland, NJ. Her mother died when she was three, soon after the birth of her sister. The father sent the two girls away to live with a Civil War friend, who had little means to take care of them herself, and having two children of her own, neglected the two girls. A neighbor, observing the situation introduced the girls' father to the Flints. They were eager to adopt the two girls, having no children of their own. Annie's father agreed because he was gravelly ill himself , and died within a year's span. But the two girls were loved by the Flints as if they were their own.
By 8 years old, Annie had come to have a great faith in Jesus and began to write in rhyme and rhythm, and by age nine, she was putting her words to music. She became a concert pianist and composer by her teenage years, but death took the Flints when she was in her early twenties. She had no means to continue her education. Whether by nature or through her early Christian experience, Annie was generally disposed to be cheerful and optimistic. She looked on the bright side of life, and was quite fond of jokes and able to get as much enjoyment out of life.
But not long after her adoptive parents' deaths, she herself began to suffer from crippling arthritis, and after a while could no longer play the piano that she loved. She began to concentrate solely on her poems and songs.
By the age of 28, Annie could no longer even walk. Her sister was also in bad health, and could not take care of Annie either. With no means of financial support or a way to pay for health care, she pushed a pen through her bent, swollen, arthritic fingers or used her knuckles to strike the manual typewriter keys and though often in great physical pain, she produced poems for use on greeting cards, on wall hangings, and in magazines. "What God Hath Promised," was written in 1919 and is one of her best-known poems. Annie also wrote “He Giveth More Grace.” Annie Johnson Flint died on Sept. 8, 1932 at Clifton Springs, New York. Her life was lived, as someone has said, from hand to mouth, but as she liked to have it expressed, the mouth was hers, and the hand was God's and His hand was never empty.
Uploaded
January 3rd, 2013
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