Children of the Heavenly Father

We sang this hymn in church Sunday, and I was reminded of how much I love it! The simple, childlike melody and words touched me and I decided to look up its history. It was written by Caroline (Lina) W. Sandell Berry (1832-1903), the daughter of a Lutheran pastor. She wrote over 650 hymns during her lifetime and became known as “the Fanny Crosby of Sweden.” Lina’s life was filled with tragedy. By the age of 28 she had lost her sister to tuberculosis, her father to drowning, and her mother to a long illness. Her only child was stillborn. In spite of all this, she was able to be comforted by the image of God as a loving father. Listen and enjoy!

For more favorite hymns see these posts:

The Wondrous Cross

On Our Way Rejoicing

Blessed Assurance