Hannah Whitall Smith (1832–1911) did not have an
easy life. Of her seven children, only three lived to adulthood.
In spite of, and perhaps because of, her unhappy
circumstances, she was able to advise Christians on how to
find and keep the joy of the Lord in A Christian’s Secret
of a Happy Life, her widely read and much loved book of
Christian holiness theology. Constant themes in her
writings include the assurance of salvation and freedom from
anxiety, as she portrays the richness of God’s love and His
desire to relate to us as the perfect Parent, Savior,
Protector, and Friend. Hannah was also active in the Woman’s
Christian Temperance Union.