Suddenly, voices were heard in the street outside her window, strong neighbors pounded upon the door of her house. She heard her stepmother rush to open it, and then wail, "No! No! No!" Two men and the village pastor carried in the body of her fiance from the river where he had just drowned.
Anne Steele never did marry after that. She quietly lived out her days in the same small town in Hampshire, England and wrote 144 hymns, 34 metrical psalms and 50 moral poems while struggling with poor health. In 1760 she published some of her poems under a pen name, seeming to prefer anonymity. In 1863, long after her death, her entire works were printed in one volume.
Today, oddly enough, the Christian band, Jars of Clay, appreciates the depth and insight of this almost-widow. In their "Jartifacts" they wrote, "Through her words we are able to say things like, 'God is still good in the midst of my suffering. The gospel still meets me here. Salvation still meets me here. Mercy and grace still find a valid home in the midst of my pain and frustration.' Where does that kind of faith come from? "
(I think I know some wise widows like readers of of this blog who could explain it to them).
Isn't it amazing that a woman's writing from over 260 years ago influences Christians today? What will people say about our faith hundreds of years from now, if the Lord tarries? ♥ ferree
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Choosing the anonymous identity is easiest if you do not have your own blog.
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