Remembering Corrie ten Boom

Courage when the Nazis invaded their land – to stay.
Courage when offering to hide Jews – pray, pray.
Courage when making a secret room – willl someone betray?
Courage when the family arrested, and sent away.
Courage in concentration camp, day by day
trying to encourage others
Awful bedbugs – but, hey
why did she eventually give thanks for them? Well they
made the guards stay away!
giving them more time to gather together
to read the hidden Bible and pray.
Courage when her father died,
and then when her sister died – sad, sad day.
Courage when released – by mistake – to face more problems
as she travelled away to a new day
of usefulness continuing to help many,
restart children’s groups
when the land was freed,
and  encouraging forgiveness of those
who had collaborated, even those who did betray;
and
especially, courage when after the war she travelled to Germany
to talk of God’s forgiveness,
and there came face to face
with one who had been a guard in that awful place,
whom she and her weakened sister had had to walk past naked
(probably in a crowd, and he didn't recognise, remember her)
and now he was asking her forgiveness,
said he had become a Christian and found God’s mercy and grace:
She fumbled with her pocketbook,
in a frozen seemingly-so-long moment,
knowing God’s word:
(“Forgive us our sins … as we forgive those who sin against us”)
She had seen so many rebuild their lives when able to forgive,
but those holding on to bitterness remaining invalids.
Desperately then she silently prayed, “Jesus, help me!”
– As she reached out her hand
towards the man, she knew God’s strengthening,
giving her peace and love towards this ex-guard.
For many years she tramped the world cheerfully and realistically
helping and encouraging so many day by day
until she passed on … on her 91st birthday April 15 1983:
an acknowledged war hero and a humble witness all over the world, to the Saviour.

Two quotes from Corrie ten Boom:

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

[IP: courage   also last week’s IP: write about a woman who has inspired you]