Now, here’s a lady to be admired! Corrie ten Boom! Her story, her book, “The Hiding Place,” and the movie of the same title have no doubt blessed me and strengthened my faith.
Corrie is in heaven now, but years ago my daughter, Shelly and I were in the Denver airport. As we were waiting for our flight, and as divine providence would have it, we had the privilege of seeing Corrie. She was elderly even back then, and was being escorted in a wheelchair down the airport concourse.
There was something indescribably glorious about Corrie’s countenance that day. It was an inner beauty that radiated outwardly around her–like light surrounding her. I’ve never experienced anything like that and will always remember what a special moment it was. Of course, I believe it was the light of Jesus. In fact, Shelly and I talked about that very thing after Corrie had gone out of our sight.
I was reading some of Corrie’s quotes this morning and wanted to share them. I am also sharing a little biographical data on her in the event some might not be familiar with the servant and mighty woman of God that she was.
“Corrie ten Boom was one of the most godly, soul-rich individuals in Christian history. The ten Boom family were Dutch Christians who helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust of WWII. When their home was raided after an informant tipped off the Nazis of their activities, the entire family was imprisoned. Corrie and her sister were sent to a notorious Nazi concentration camp. She was miraculously released from prison just days after her sister had died there. God brought incredible beauty and healing through her difficult experiences, and her words still have great relevance and impact in our world today.” From Corrie ten Boom’s biography
Here are 20 powerful quotes form Corrie ten Boom:
1. “You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.” -Corrie ten Boom
2. “Do you know what hurts so very much? It’s love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill that love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel.” -Corrie ten Boom
3. “Today I know that such memories are the key not to the past, but to the future. I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work he will give us to do.” -Corrie ten Boom
4. “And our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things too. Don’t run out ahead of him.” -Corrie ten Boom
5. “Love is larger than the walls which shut it in.” -Corrie ten Boom
6. “Even as the angry vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him….Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness….And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on his. When he tells us to love our enemies, he gives along with the command, the love itself.” -Corrie ten Boom
7. “If the devil cannot make us bad, he will make us busy.” -Corrie ten Boom
8. “You will find it is necessary to let things go, simply for the reason that they are too heavy.” -Corrie ten Boom
9. “Some knowledge is too heavy…you cannot bear it…your Father will carry it until you are able.” -Corrie ten Boom
10. “Don’t bother to give God instructions, just report for duty.” -Corrie ten Boom
11. “God takes our sins – the past, present, and future, and dumps them in the sea and puts up a sign that says NO FISHING ALLOWED.” -Corrie ten Boom
12. “Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.” -Corrie ten Boom
13. “Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” -Corrie ten Boom
14. “Happiness isn’t something that depends on our surroundings…it’s something we make inside ourselves.” -Corrie ten Boom
15. “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” -Corrie ten Boom
16. “In darkness God’s truth shines most clear.” -Corrie ten Boom
17. “What wings are to a bird and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul.” -Corrie ten Boom
18. “With Jesus, even in our darkest moments the best remains and the very best is yet to be…” -Corrie ten Boom
19 .“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.” -Corrie ten Boom
20 .“It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability that counts.” -Corrie ten Boom
Dear God, Thank You God for strong women of faith such as Corrie ten Boom. Thank You for giving her courage and perseverance amidst the most trying time of her life. Thank You for using Corrie’s experiences to encourage and strengthen so many of us, even this many years after her time on earth was up. I pray that even now, you are raising up more people with the staunch faith of Corrie ten Boom and her family. Raise us up, Lord! This I pray in the matchless name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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