Reading is something I’ve loved ever since I was a little kid. Immersing yourself in a good book and getting lost in the pages amongst adventure, courage, overcoming adversity, the character development and plot twists, and learning something new has an incredible amount of appeal to me. It’s funny because I am surrounded by people in my life who have vast differences in our approaches to reading. Some friends devour book after book and love to borrow and read the wonders from my collection on the bookshelf. And then there are those who haven’t read a book since school and were devout Spark Notes followers to help them pass exams. I love them all regardless, but I am one who loves to read. I haven’t quite caught on to audio books but I’m sure I’ll get there one day.

A book I finished reading just recently was The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. My goodness me, what a read. I absolutely loved it. What she went through appears so foreign to me, writing this from a cafe in a peaceful country town in Australia. Yet, it wasn’t that long ago that it happened, World War Two and the horrors of the concentration camps that resulted in the loss of far too many lives. Corrie Ten Boom was born in 1892 in Holland (The Netherlands) and was the daughter of a watchmaker in a devout Christian family who loved and served Jesus. As World War Two unfolded, they noticed the horrid treatment aimed towards the Jewish people and decided to take action and hid various people in their small home. Hid them they did for a long time, until they were betrayed and found out, and sent to concentration camps. Corrie and her beloved sister Betsie were in Ravensbruck Concentration Camp in Germany, while her father and other members of the family were sent elsewhere. The horrors they experienced were outrageous and reading about her experience of it all is a hard pill to swallow, thinking that this sort of thing actually happened and isn’t just a made up story.

What makes this book stand out is Corrie and Betsie’s total and utter reliance on God in the midst of the cruelty and brutality of mistreatment and injustice, and their forgiveness and love towards those who treat them the very worst. Corrie’s honesty in her writing and the fleshly thoughts she has towards these people, but then her total surrender to trusting God moved me the most. How many times in our own strength do we want to take revenge.

One of the most frequent questions people ask that hinders their relationship with God is, why does a God of love allow suffering? It’s a great question and one that I don’t think any of us will ever be able to fully answer. In this life we will all face suffering and trials, BUT God promises to be with us in those trials. Corrie Ten Boom is proof that God was with her in the horrors of the concentration camp and that His light and love shone brighter than the suffering they faced. Talk about growing where you’re planted, she grew and planted seeds of goodness and saw salvation come to many around her because of her faithfulness.

James 1:12 – Blessed are those who persevere under trial because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Love, Gracie.