Corrie ten Boom: the power to forgive
Corrie ten Boom was a middle-aged Dutch woman living in occupied Holland during World War II when, together with her sister and their elderly father, they were arrested by the Nazis for sheltering Jews.
The horrific imprisonment and the unspeakable cruelties they suffered at the hands of their brutal captors claimed both the lives of Corrie’s father and her sister, Betsie. Having survived the concentration camp, Corrie found she had to come to terms, not just with her own horrific experiences, but with the need as a Christian to forgive her captors. In this excerpt from a sermon, she explores both questions.
The source of our strength is Jesus Christ himself; and his cross shows us that we can accept suffering as a part of God’s plan for this world. When I was in the concentration camp, one of the most terrible things that I had to go through was that they stripped us of all our clothing and that we had to stand [naked]. The first time was the worst. I said [to my sister], “Betsie, I cannot bear this.”
Then suddenly it was as if I saw Jesus at the cross. The Bible tells us that they took his garments and he hung there naked. I knew he hung there for me – for my sins!
... story continues
