“God’s will is delicious; He makes no mistakes,” Frances Rigley Havergal (1836-1879) said.

These words rang through Havergal’s beautiful life. One stranger called her a “burst of sunshine.”

At an early age, she began mastering words, becoming fluent in French, German, Italian, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. She studied scripture, wrote hymns, and was an accomplished piano player. Her voice was described as angelic.

But gifted as Havergal appeared, she wasn’t without problems.

At eleven, she lost her mother. Throughout her own short life, she suffered frequent illnesses. In spite of her burdens, however, Havergal’s spirit was ever bright, her words constantly uplifting. Whatever ailment she had never hindered her character.

In her teens, she sought out people to join her in following Jesus. Days before her death, though sickly, she eagerly traveled through damp weather to pursue new converts for Christ.

On the day she died, those by her bedside said they saw her countenance lift as her spirit made its way to heaven. It seemed she was meeting her Savior in front of them all!

Frances wasn’t burden-free, but she didn’t bear her troubles alone.

She trusted that no circumstance in her life was a mistake; that God would turn every pain of hers into good. That faith made her shine!