A Worthy Read

  

  A sad, dated and discolored little book sat on the bookshelf of my childhood home for as long as I can remember.  It didn't look appealing enough to even pick up and read the description on the back.  My sister and I exchange books at Christmas that we've enjoyed throughout the year and the sad looking little book of my childhood was one of the books in my gift box.  I decided I'd give it a go this time around not knowing it would have the ability to completely transform my thinking. 

        The book is "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom.  As stated on the back of the book, "Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker who became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's concentration camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century. In World War II she and her family risked their lives to help Jews and underground workers escape from the Nazis, and for their work they were tested in the infamous Nazi death camps. Only Corrie among her family survived to tell the story of how faith ultimately triumphs over evil.  This is a riveting account of how Corrie and her family were able to save many of God's chosen people.  For 35 years, millions have seen that there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still." 

     Personally, I was struck by the how Corrie and her sister were strip searched and hosed over and over but still managed to sneak in a Bible in the concentration camp.  They were almost excited at how God had allowed them to share the gospel with hundreds of dying Jews as they were dying themselves.  They understood that this was their purpose and what they'd been put on earth to do.  Over and over, God revealed His power in the worst of circumstances.  They trusted in Jesus as their hiding place.   Although they endured the worst horrors imaginable, this book is uplifting, encouraging and will possibly change your thinking forever.  In addition to sharing God with suffering Jews, she lived to share her story and the gospel to all parts of the world. If you've never seen a real Christian in action, read this.  If you can't understand how an atrocity can be used for God's glory, read this.  Simply put...read this.