We must let our love for Heavenly Father, not the challenges of this life, define us.
Photo by Sarah Cervantes
With a can-do attitude and unwavering determination, Marianne Fisher has accomplished amazing things in her life. Now in her eighties, Marianne has received two master’s degrees, has sung in a world-renowned choir for 17 years, and has written the hymn “As I Search the Holy Scriptures.” But the most incredible thing about Marianne is her determination to stay close to her Heavenly Father and have faith in his plan. Despite physical challenges, Marianne says, “Heavenly Father has never given up on us, and so we must not give up either.”
In the podcast entitled “Blindness Endured—Marianne Fisher,” Marianne shares where her hope comes from, despite her earthly challenges. During her birth, the doctor unintentionally injured her eyes with the forceps he used to deliver her. This accident left Marianne legally blind, but it has not prevented her from living an engaged life. “Blindness perhaps has been one of the greatest blessings of my life,” she says. “It’s worse to be spiritually blind by far than it is [to be] physically blind.”
Marianne’s example teaches us that, even though difficulties arise in life, we can choose to press forward and make the most of our time on earth because we love our Heavenly Father. Marianne says, “I wanted to succeed, not to show the world anything . . . but to prove to Heavenly Father that I was trustworthy, that I could be depended upon.”
To find out what else Marianne’s love for the Lord led her to achieve, listen to the podcast.
Source: Mormon Channel
—Heather Randall, Mormon Insights
feature image by chris lawton
Find more insights
Learn more about the spiritual blindness that Marianne says is worse than any physical blindness by reading the BYU devotional address “Spiritual Cataracts,” by James B. McDonald.
Read President Thomas S. Monson’s Ensign article “Faces and Attitudes” to learn how you can determine your attitude and, in turn, determine your destiny.
What an incredible attitude! I love Marianne’s quote about spiritual blindness. Having that spiritual sight and hope enables us to look beyond our circumstances and progress. Thank you for sharing!