“You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.” – Corrie ten Boom
When the Nazi army invaded the Netherlands in 1940, a quiet Christian family in Haarlem stepped into a role few could imagine: protectors of the persecuted. Led by a humble watchmaker and his daughters, the ten Boom family opened their home to Jews and resistance workers fleeing Hitler’s regime. At the heart of this household was Corrie ten Boom—a woman of deep conviction, remarkable courage, and radical forgiveness.
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A Watchmaker’s Daughter Turned Rescuer
Corrie ten Boom was born in 1892 into a devout Christian family. Her father, Casper, was a well-respected watchmaker who raised Corrie and her siblings with strong biblical values. The ten Booms believed in a faith that took action—one that not only prayed for the suffering but provided shelter, food, and safety.
In 1942, they began hiding Jews in a secret room behind Corrie’s bedroom wall. This “hiding place” became a lifeline for many. But in 1944, the Gestapo raided their home. The family was arrested and sent to concentration camps. Corrie and her sister Betsie were imprisoned at the infamous Ravensbrück.
Suffering in Ravensbrück
Ravensbrück was a place of unspeakable horror. Yet in the midst of starvation, disease, and cruelty, Corrie and Betsie held on to their faith.
“We must tell people,” Betsie would whisper to Corrie. “There is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still.”
Betsie’s health deteriorated rapidly. Before her death, she shared a vision of a post-war ministry that would bring healing to victims—and even to their oppressors. Corrie, devastated yet inspired, promised to carry on her sister’s dream.
Miraculously, Corrie was released due to a clerical error just days before all women her age were executed.
The Power of Forgiveness
After the war, Corrie began to speak publicly about her experiences, preaching a message centered not on vengeance, but on forgiveness. Perhaps the most powerful moment came in 1947, when she encountered a former Ravensbrück guard at a church in Munich.
He approached her after her message and asked for forgiveness.
“I who had spoken so often of forgiveness fumbled in my pocketbook rather than take that hand,” Corrie later wrote. “But I prayed, ‘Jesus, help me!’… I reached out and took his hand. And as I did, the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass… and I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness anymore than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His.”
“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13
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Legacy of Light in Darkness
Corrie ten Boom went on to write her most famous book, The Hiding Place, and traveled the world sharing her testimony. She founded rehabilitation centers, worked with survivors of war trauma, and never ceased declaring that Jesus is victor—even in a world that still bears scars.
In 1971, Billy Graham helped produce a film adaptation of The Hiding Place, which brought her story to millions.
She died in 1983, on her 91st birthday. According to Jewish tradition, it is a special honor to die on one’s birthday—a sign of a life completed.
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🕊️ Reflection
Corrie’s story is a testament to the Scripture in Romans 12:21:
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Her life challenges us to examine our own capacity for forgiveness, courage, and obedience. Can we forgive when it’s hard? Can we trust God in the darkest places? Corrie did. Not because she was strong—but because she knew Christ was enough.
May her example stir your heart to deeper faith and remind you: there is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.
