The Ten Boom family were devout Christians.
They were Dutch and from a family of watchmakers. During the Second World War their house became a hiding place for fugitives who were hunted down by Hitler’s Nazis.
On February 28, 1944, the Nazis raided the home and they were arrested.
10 days after the arrest the father died and the two sisters were transported to Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany.
Life in Ravensbruck was terrible but Betsy and Corrie spent the time there sharing the love of Christ. Betsy passed away while at Ravensbruck but Corrie survived the ordeal.
After Corrie Ten Boom was released from the concentration camp she toured the world sharing her story and to testify of God’s love.
She authored books and movies were made on it. In 15 April 1983 on a 91st birthday she passed away.
Corrie famously recounts an incident from one such tour in Germany .She was sharing about her time in the concentration camp and testifying of God’s love.
After church ,she was waylaid by an oldish man with a long overcoat, who stood in front of her and stretched out his hands towards her. He introduced himself as one of the guards from the Ravensbruck concentration camp ,but since then had become a Christian.
Corrie froze, because she immediately recognised that man.All the horrors of the concentration camp, her frail sister Betsy, and this man’s cold face as the events unfolded ,came to her mind’s eye. She just could not get herself to stretch out her hand in reconciliation.
She had just preached about forgiveness and now she was finding it difficult to forgive.
She sent up a prayer to the Lord to give her the strength to forgive. She told the Lord she would stretch out her hands and He should do the rest.
Even as she mechanically stretched out her hands, suddenly a divine compassion came over her which she says was not her own.
In her own words,“As I did, an incredible thing took place.The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.
“I forgive you brother !”,I cried ,”with all my heart “.For a long moment we grasped each other’s hand ,the former guard and the former prisoner. I’ve never known God’s love so intensely as I did then. But even so, I realised ,it was not my love.I had tried, and I did not have the power. It was the power of the Holy spirit.
Mathew 6 vs 14 and 15
14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you, 15 But if you do not forgive their trespasses neither will your father forgive yours.
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