Elizabeth Payson (later Prentiss) was born on October 26, 1818, to Edward and Ann Louisa Payson. Her father was a well-known minister, a Godly man whose character left a strong imprint on his young daughter, the fifth of his eight children. Growing up in a happy Christian home, Elizabeth soon learned about her precious Savior and expressed a desire to devote her life to Him. Her character began to be shaped by suffering early on in life, as her father died when she was nine years old and she herself was frequently ill. Her deep sensitivity to the Lord’s dealings with her soul later became the basis for much of her writing.
As a young lady, writing was her pastime, and she filled up volumes of journals, besides her letter-writing and poetry. She loved books, good, intelligent books, and could often be found in her “Blue Room”, a special room filled with all her books and treasures. Her days were filled with helping her mother with household duties and caring for children. When she was twenty, she opened her own school for little girls in her home. Her students loved her dearly and kept her days filled with liveliness and laughter.
At about the age of twenty-one Elizabeth entered into a time of spiritual distress which shook her soul to its foundations. She became tremendously conscious of her own sin and doubted whether she was truly a Christian. This state lasted for several months, and nothing could shake her out of her despair. Her efforts to seek the Lord seemed to be in vain and gave her no peace. “At last I found it impossible to carry on the struggle any longer alone. I would gladly have put myself at the feet of a little child, if by so doing I could have found peace. I felt so guilty and the character of God appeared so perfect in its purity and holiness, that I knew not which way to turn.” It was a sermon on the ability of Christ to “save unto the uttermost” that finally broke through her sense of insufficiency. ” . . . I gave myself up to admire, to love, and to praise Him . . . From this time my mind went slowly onward, examining the way step by step, trembling and afraid, yet filled with a calm contentment which made all the dealings of God with me appear just right. I know myself to be perfectly helpless. I can not promise to do or to be anything; but I do want to put everything else aside, and to devote myself entirely to the service of Christ.”
Shortly after this time Elizabeth accepted a position as a teacher at a school in Richmond, Virginia. She quickly won the affections of her students and poured her heart into them, even sharing her room with one girl who needed special attention. Several happy years were spent at this school until her marriage to George Lewis Prentiss in 1845. Her husband was a Presbyterian minister in New Beford, Massachussetts. Her first few years of married life were spent in this place until they moved to New York in 1851.
The events of the following years proved to be some of the defining moments of her life. The deaths of her second and third children in short succession caused her own health to break to the point of being bedridden for a time. While never giving in to uncontrolled grief, her pain drove her to God again and again. She often expressed her feelings in poetry, such as these lines:
My Nursery. 1852.
I thought that prattling boys and girls
Would fill this empty room;
That my rich heart would gather flowers
From childhood’s opening bloom.
One child and two green graves are mine,
This is God’s gift to me;
A bleeding, fainting, broken heart-
This is my gift to Thee.
Even as a mother with young children, Elizabeth kept her pen busy. While during her time as a teacher and during the early years of her marriage her writing was mostly limited to letter writing, she gradually expanded her exceptional skill to writing books. Her books were not written for mere entertainment, but rather incorporated the deep spiritual truths and lessons Elizabeth had learned. Her works of fiction are masterful, incorporating deep theological truths into delightful stories that every man, woman, and child can relate to. Her stories about growing girls are refreshing and full of solid advice for establishing a Godly marriage and family. The Christian home is the central theme of several of her books. Stepping Heavenward, her most well-known book, is a fictional journal of a young lady who is struggling and learning to love and serve Christ as a wife and mother. Elizabeth’s own sufferings found expression in Golden Hours: Heart Hymns of the Christian Life, a book of poetry.
Elizabeth gave birth to a total of six children, four of whom lived to adulthood. Her days were filled with the ordinary tasks of wifehood and motherhood, as well as the additional responsibility of being a pastor’s wife. Yet her life was made extraordinary because of her tremendous love and devotion to Christ – a love which still blesses others through her writings. For those of us who are searching for a pattern of Christ-like womanhood, Elizabeth Prentiss gives us a real-life, day-to-day picture of what it should look like.
Recommended reading:
The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss
Golden hours: Heart-hymns of the Christian life
Stepping Heavenward
Aunt Jane’s Hero
Thoughts Concerning the King
More books by Elizabeth Prentiss
Books by and about Elizabeth Prentiss that can be downloaded for free:
Golden Hours: Hymns and Songs of the Christian Life
The Percys
Little Lou’s Sayings and Doings
Little Threads
Henry and Bessie
How Sorrow was Changed into Sympathy
Fred, and Maria, and me
Avis Benson
Gentleman Jim
Stepping Heavenward
The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss
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