"The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom

For a number of years, "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom has been on my "Books I haven't read that every self-respecting Christian should read" list.  My good friend Barry recently posted about forgiveness along with a penetrating excerpt from The Hiding Place.  That quickly kicked the book up to the top of my list and I quickly checked it out from my local library.  I also would suggest you do the same if you haven't read this one yet.

Corrie Ten Boom lived with her family in the family watch shop in Holland.  She grew up in what seemed to be a wonderful, simple life.  Her family loved the Lord and the love poured out to others in their community.  However, Nazi Germany began to loom heavier on the surrounding countries in Europe.  Soon, Holland was under the occupation of the Nazis.  They began to see Jews being stripped of their rights, and then arrested and taken away, never to be seen again.  The unique layout of the watch shop/home provided the family with the means to begin hiding Jews that came to them for help.  Soon, the family was thrust into "Underground".  They became connected with others who defied Nazi rule and sought to aid the Jewish community.

Eventually they were arrested and Corrie and her family were taken to a concentration camp.  

Though she lost her freedom and members of her family through it, Corrie and her sister were able to minister to many in the concentration camps.  Through what turned out to be a clerical mistake, Corrie was released from the concentration camp, one week before she would have been executed.

There are a few stories Corrie shares from her experiences that I will remember the rest of my life.  One such story was when Corrie and her sister Betsie were moved with traincars bursting at the seams with other women to a concentration camp in Germany.  The conditions were horrific and could give you bad dreams just reading about it.  The "bedding" was rancid and women were stacked on top of one another in the long rows of beds.  The room was also infested with fleas.  Corrie admits she was prone to discouragement and self-preservation during these times but her sister Betsie was there to show her the higher path.  Betsie encouraged her sister from 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  She said (my paraphrasing) "Let us give thanks to God for everything.  Thank Him that we are finally together again.   Thank you the we were able to bring this Bible past the guards.  Thank Him for...the fleas!"  This was too much for Corrie.  The fleas? Seriously? Surely He didn't mean for them to do that.  But Betsie said "In ALL circumstances Corrie. Not just for our comforts".    Weeks later, they were able to hold Bible studies with many of the other women in one of the large rooms.   They wondered why the officers did not break up the meetings.  Later they found out that it was because they knew that room was full of fleas!  Thank God for the fleas indeed.

This beautiful account of a small Dutch woman and her mighty God will break your heart and deepen your faith in our sovereign God.