Last night, I dreamt that I was in Corrie Ten Boom's house in Holland. I've never been there, but I've seen pictures and diagrams of the house where she and her family hid Jews during World War II. In my dream, I drifted through the watch shop on the main floor and then walked up a small flight of stairs to the kitchen at the rear of the house. My dream ended shortly thereafter, but the experience up to that point was quite vivid in my mind as I can still picture how things were arranged in the house. I even remember trying to imagine in my dream what life was like for the Ten Boom's.
As is often the case with dreams, I am not sure why I dreamt about that house last night. I do know that The Hiding Place is one of my favorite books and that Corrie Ten Boom is someone whom I admire greatly. I think I like The Hiding Place so much because Corrie is so authentic in the way she retells the events of her life. She does not put on a religious or pious air. She is honest. She doesn't disguise her struggles with anger or even hatred when she and her family are brutally mistreated by the Nazis. She doesn't puff herself up when she tells how God breaks through the darkness in remarkable ways.
The beauty in her story lies in the fact that God used despair to reach both Corrie and the people in her life. Through every fear, He proved Himself a source of strength, comfort, and joy in her life. His work in her led those around her to want a relationship with Christ too. Her story is profound and completely blows me away.
Today, Corrie is famous and her story is an inspiration to many. Hmm. Did she have any inkling that she would be famous when she was sharing a lice-ridden wooden bunk with far too many other women? Did she know that her faith in Christ would comfort strangers years later when she had to stand in freezing conditions without proper nourishment or clothing for hours before the break of day? Did she know that Christ's work in her life would eventually be used to minister to others at the moment she heard the news that her dear sister Betsy had died in the camp? Did she know any of that when the darkness of her life was suffocating?
No. All she had to carry her through those moments was Jesus Christ. All she had was His hand, His comfort, His promises. All she had was the hope of His salvation and the joy of His ultimate victory. That was all she had and it was enough. Though her situation was grim, she and her sister Betsy made use of each moment to share the love of Christ. They did not languish in the dark. They had Jesus Christ. They lived for Him still.
Her life reminds me of Joseph and David in the Bible. Both of these men spent years being treated unfairly in obscurity before the Lord made them great rulers. Even so, these men did not react in human indignation. They knew not what great tasks the Lord had for them in the future, but that didn't stop them from living with integrity in the "now" of their lives. They were diligent and faithful and the Lord never left their side.
If these stories don't prove to those in Christ that human circumstances are no reason for fear or doubt, than what would? "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8). He is always the same and He never leaves or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). Amazing truth.
2 comments:
Whoa....that is rather enchanting...
interesting and deep. I've been thinking about CtB, too, a lot lately and the difference between her story and other survivors' stories since I recently had to watch some extremely dark documentaries from this event. Survivors who do not know Christ tend to have a lot more sadness, sometimes deep regrets, and ongoing agony than she ever exuded.
ps I don't s'pose this dream compares to mine of meeting Tim McGraw and his family while, to my horror, my teeth fell out, does it?!
CtB has been special in my life, too. I haven't read her story, yet, in "Extreme Devotion"--a devotional about many who have suffered for Christ.
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