I assume most people have probably heard of this book and what it’s about, so I will just include a very brief summary. It is the true story of the ten Boom family who lived in Nazi occupied Holland during World War II. Their experiences both before, during, and after the war, paint the picture of what it means to live a truly Christlike life. The faith of this family was phenomenal and that faith radiates from every page of this book.
I learned so many lessons from reading this book. Lessons about love, family, selflessness, charity, sacrifice, forgiveness, humility, faith, prayer, scripture study, devotion, the list could go on and on. I guess ‘learned’ is the wrong word, because they were all things I already knew, but they registered on a much deeper level and took on new meaning because of this book.
The amazing thing, and probably the reason the message was so poignant, was the fact that this story took place in arguably one of the darkest times and darkest places in the history of this world, and yet the story was so uplifting and inspiring. Unlike many of the stories told from this time and place, I never felt despair. Instead I was filled with peace, awe, and a desire to become a better person.
I wanted to share one of my favorite quotes from the book, but it was so difficult to choose. I finally decided on this one. It happens toward the beginning of the book, but the message is reiterated again and again throughout the story. Corrie has her first experience with death and is afraid she won’t have the strength to deal with the loss of those closest to her. To comfort her, her father gives her this advise.
“Corrie,” he began gently, “when you and I go to Amsterdam- when do I give you your ticket?”
I sniffed a few times, considering this.
“Why just before we get on the train.”
“Exactly. And our wise Father in Heaven knows when we’re going to need things, too. Don’t run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need- just in time.”
That was one of my favorite messages from the book, God knows what we need better than we do, and He always gives it to us. We just need to have the faith to see it. Too often in my life I place limitations on God. I think that I can only be happy if he answers my prayers by giving me the things I pray for. I am convinced they are the things I need, and that if I just have enough faith the Lord will grant me those things. It is hard to have complete faith and accept that perhaps I don’t really need what I think I do and trust in Him to provide in the way that is best. Sometimes it is hard to have faith that He can do the things that He has promised, even when they seem so impossible. Sometimes it is hard to remember that His love is so deep and so real that we never need to fear if we just trust in Him. This, and many others, are the messages I hope I can remember from this book. In fact, I rented the book from the library, but plan to purchase it so that I can read it again whenever I need a refresher.
No comments:
Post a Comment