Just As I Am

Just As I Am

Ms Charlotte Elliott was born in Brighton, England, as an invalid in 1789. Despite being born into a loving Christian family, she harbored deep feelings of inadequacy as to her ability to be useful in her life – she saw herself as having no purpose. With broken health and broken, painful body, she saw her whole existence as broken and useless. Charlotte harbored a deep resentment against God for making her that way. “How could He love me, if he made me this way?”

On May 8, 1822, a minister from Switzerland named Dr Cesar Malan (NOT the current dog-whisperer!) came to visit the Elliott’s home. As the minister began to talk about faith, Charlotte, in a fit of temper, violently railed against God. Embarrassed, the family left the room – leaving her alone with the minister.

Dr Malan allowed her to calm down, then quietly asked her, “You’re tired of yourself, aren’t you? You are holding on to your hate and anger because you have nothing else in the world to cling to. Because of that, you have become sour, bitter, and resentful.” “What is your cure?” Charlotte asked. He replied, “The very faith you are trying to despise.”

As they spoke, Charlotte’s heart finally softened. She asked, “If I wanted to become a Christian, what would I do?” Dr Malan replied, “Give yourself to God just as you are now, with your fightings and fears, hates and loves, pride and shame.”

Charlotte replied, “I can come to God just as I am? Is that right?” She received Christ that evening, and it changed her life. She still struggled from time to time with feelings of uselessness, but an ongoing friendship with Dr Malan helped her to place those feelings in the proper context. She learned to pour out her feelings and her life experience into verse, eventually writing over 150 hymns and publishing her own hymnal called “The Invalid’s Hymn Book.”

Years later, her brother, a reverend, was hosting an event to raise money for the education of the children of poor pastors in their area. She had, at the time, another spell of doubting her usefulness, when her brother asked her to write a poem for the flyer of this event. In trying to come up with verse, she thought back to that day she met Dr Malan and his words “…just as you are now…” and poured out her heart:

Just as I am – without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
– O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am – and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
– O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am – though toss’d about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings within, and fears without,
– O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am – poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,
– O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am – Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
– O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am – Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
– O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am – of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
– O Lamb of God, I come!

This hymn has touched many lives over the years, being a favorite at altar calls in small churches and great crusades alike. Billy Graham used the title of this song as the title of his autobiography.

Charlotte Elliott lived to be 82 years old, never enjoying good health. When she passed away, her loved ones found over a thousand letters she had saved from people who had written to express their appreciation for how this particular hymn had touched their lives.


Then Sings My Soul, Robert J. Morgan, 2003.
https://www.challies.com/articles/hymn-stories-just-as-i-am/