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The Hiding Place
By Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill
Bantam Books, 1974, 241 pages
Reviewed by Shirley McDonald
May 5, 2001
The preface of The
Hiding Place contains a notable quote from Corrie ten Boom.
When co-authors John and Elizabeth Sherrill told ten Boom that the
incidents recalled by ten Boom helped them in their own lives, ten Boom
answered, “But this is what the past is for!
Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the
perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.”
What words of wisdom¾and how I need to remember them when faced
with unpleasant life experiences. But
how very safe my world has been
compared to ten Boom’s.
The Hiding Place gives a vivid account of life in Holland before, during, and after
World War II, as well as a firsthand account of the horrors of the concentration
camps. Courageous people like the
ten Booms showed the true meaning of love. They were willing not only to go the second mile for absolute
strangers, but also ultimately to die for them.
In
1937 Cornelia (Corrie) ten Boom was a spinster Dutch woman who worked with her
watchmaker father in their combination shop/home called The Beje.
The Hiding Place is the fascinating and inspirational story of how
Corrie and her Christian family became involved in hiding and smuggling Jews to
safety during the Nazi terrorism of World War II. This family’s anti-Nazi activity resulted in Corrie, her
sister Betsie, and their father being sent to prison and then to concentration
camps.
The
courage of this family is clearly shown by Father ten Boom’s response to the
Gestapo chief when they are being held for interrogation about their activities.
The chief interrogator spies Father and says, “I’d like to send you
home, old fellow. I’ll take your
word that you won’t cause any more trouble.”
Without even having to consider the offer, Father replies, “If I go
home today, tomorrow I will open my door again to any man in need who
knocks.”(1) This decision costs him his life, but one knows that it is just as
Father wished, and that he would have continued helping anyone in need had he
been set free.
After
reading The Hiding Place, I feel
ashamed of my whining and complaining about the stress in my life.
Compared to this family, I have none. And I am afraid I will have a hard time defending my cop-out
excuses for not witnessing to others when placed beside Betsie, who found a way
to hold Bible studies under the very noses of the Nazi guards, discreetly using
her one smuggled-in and very worn copy of the Bible.
It
must have been difficult for Corrie ten Boom to write this book and relive all
the agonizing memories. However,
she found the strong faith in Christ that gave her the courage to defy the Nazis
and survive the brutality of the concentration camps also gave her the peace to
deal with the memories.
Everyone
should read this testimony of bravery, boldness, and love with its many lessons
that can enrich one’s spiritual walk with God.
1. Page 138
ninetyandnine.com
©
2001, Shirley McDonald
---------
Shirley McDonald attends First Pentecostal Church of Denham Springs, LA.
She loves to read, so her job as a librarian is the perfect one.
Contrary to public opinion, however, she does not
have time to read at work.
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