If you have ever been asked to do something, go somewhere, speak to someone or simply step out of your comfort zone, then you will appreciate the life of Corrie Ten Boom. This amazing woman suffered in ways that we will never, ever understand. The pain and loss she experienced in a Nazi concentration camp was horrific, however she did not let it stop her from taking steps toward forgiveness and choosing to share her journey with the world. She chose to cross a bridge toward Amazing Love. That is the name of the book I have been reading lately. In it she shares stories of people she met all over the world, but what she really desired with this book was that we would know about the reason why she could forgive, because of Jesus.

Corrie did not let hate rule her heart. If she had let anger take root, forgiveness would have been impossible. Stepping out of her comfort zone became commonplace. In chapter 8 entitled, Never again to Germany, she is faced with a choice to return to Germany, the place of painful memories, to share her story. The struggle to listen to the prompting from the Lord to go is clear, but he had a plan for her to do something, go somewhere, speak to someone and step out of her comfort zone again. Corrie states at the beginning of the chapter, “One thing I hope is that I’ll never have to go to Germany again. I am willing to go wherever God may want me to go, but I hope He’ll never send me to Germany.” In only the way God can, he orchestrated a series of connections that ultimately led her back there to speak, “Was it difficult? At times it was; at times it was not…who is going to fill them? It is wonderful to be able to speak there about Him who renews hearts, and fills them with His joy.” Crossing that bridge toward Germany for her was hard, but God was present, she was not alone and reminds us that, “If we want to experience the guidance of God in our lives, we must accept one condition: obedience to Him.” She did not want to go, but ultimately listened and as a result, more people were able to hear about her journey toward forgiveness and share her love for Christ.

We all have a bridge to cross that will be very hard. For Corrie, she knew from experience that taking that step although challenging, would be an opportunity that God would bless. My 13 yr old read, The Hiding Place  (this version is for younger readers) this past school year and was introduced to the horrors of war and at the same time to an incredible woman who loved God and made a lasting difference. Ultimately, Corrie taught her how to love your enemies, “When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, He Himself will give us the love with which to do it. We are neither factories nor reservoirs of His love, only channels. When we understand that, all excuse for pride is eliminated.” I am humbled by the powerful stories in her book and challenged to cross whatever bridge God is calling in my life. In Psalm 119:105 we are reminded, ” Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” With this in mind, he is going to illuminate our path that he has prepared, we have to obediently say yes.

2 responses to “Cross that bridge”

1. “When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, He Himself will give us the love with which to do it. We are neither factories nor reservoirs of His love, only channels. When we understand that, all excuse for pride is eliminated.”

   So powerful! So well written again. Thank you for the reminder that so many times we say we can’t do certain things God wants us to do, it is He who actually does all the working through us.

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   • He is working through us and because of friends like you we can encourage one another! Thank you for praying for me!

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