Corrie ten Boom, a hero to a generation of people who grew up after World War II left a legacy of Godliness and wisdom. She and her sister Betsie were victims of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands and she survived to tell her story of faith and dependence on God during horrendous suffering.
Corrie Ten Boon, along with the rest of her family were victim of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during WWII. They were later interred in a Nazi concentration camp for hiding fugitives and others hunted by the Nazis. Corrie was the only one from her family that survived the horrific conditions of the concentration camp and had the courage to share her story in a book she wrote, The Hiding Place.
Corrie was well acquainted with loss. She lost her family, possessions, and years of her life for no other reason other than helping Jews. During the hardships of the concentration camp, she learned to focus on what could be gained spiritually and emotionally by putting everything in the hands of her heavenly Father.
Wow, what courage and perseverance this woman had!
Here is an excerpt from her book that captures this.
The barracks where Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie were kept in the Nazi concentration camp Ravensbruck were terribly overcrowded and flea-infested.
They had been able to miraculously smuggle a Bible into the camp, and in that Bible they had read that in all things there were to give thanks, and that God can use anything for good.
Corrie’s sister Betsy decided that this meant thanking God for the fleas.
This was too much for Corrie, who said she could do no such thing. Betsie insisted, so Corrie gave in and prayed to God, thanking Him even for the fleas.
Betsie and Corrie would often quietly share passages from the Bible with the other prisoners, ever mindful to be careful to avoid being overheard by the guards. If caught, the punishment would be unthinkable. Even without provocation of this kind, the guards regularly assaulted the women. Over the next several months a wonderful, but curious, thing happened. They found that the guards never entered their particular barracks. This meant that while in the barracks the women were safe from assault. It also meant that they were able to do the unthinkable, which was to hold open Bible studies and prayer meetings in the heart of a Nazi concentration camp.
Through this, countless numbers of women came to faith in Christ.
Only in the end did they discover why the guards had left them alone and would not enter into their barracks.
It was because of the fleas.i
When should we be thankful?
All the time! No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:18
Like Corrie ten Boom, we can see beyond our circumstances and be thankful for the fleas!
What should we place in God’s hands?
Everything! He held abundance in his hands, but when Jesus asked him to give it up, he refused. He kept his possessions and he failed to follow Jesus—and as a result he “went away sorrowful” -Mark 10:22
No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:18 (TLB)
Like Corrie ten Boom, we can find hope by putting everything in God’s hands and then trusting Him for the outcome. No matter what!
Are you read to place EVERYTHING in God’s hands?
Are you ready to be thankful in ALL circumstances?
iTen Boom, Corrie (2006). The Hiding Place. Chosen Books; 35th Anniversary edition.
Base Image: Auschvitz – Birkenau, Concentration Camp. From Free Images on Pixabay
