Corrie ten Boom is one of those people from history that we think of as heroes. One of those Holocaust survivors with an incredible story of courage and conviction, and also pain and heartache.
She is someone that has numerous books written about her, and numerous movies about her, and almost everyone with a sense of World War Two history knows about her. To say she's decently famous in history, and widely famous when considering the 20th Century time period, is an understatement.
And when we see someone like that, when we hear all about their deep faith and the way they loved God and their strong courage, we can be encouraged and built up and motivated.
But it is also easy to see someone like that and be discouraged. Because, you're never going to go through WWII. You're never going to go through the holocaust. You most likely will never watch your older sister die in front of your eyes, or be imprisoned in a Nazi extermination camp in the middle of Germany.
And when you look at the stark difference between your life and hers, lies start searing away the truth.
"The struggles you go through are nothing compared to hers. You are weak. You'll never be like her."
"You think your faith is strong? Well, it isn't."
"You're complaining about going to an early church service? Well, Corrie ten Boom had church service in a death camp. Your faith will never be that strong."
And while some of that is valid - you obviously aren't Corrie ten Boom, thank the Lord, we've already had one of her - you have to dismiss them as what they are: lies.
Corrie would in no way want her life story to become a source of discouragement for anyone. And this is where we come to our first piece of life advice from Corrie.
If You Look At The World, You Will Be Distressed. If You Look At Yourself, You Will Be Depressed. But If You Look To Christ, You Will Be At Rest.
Take a second and read that one more time, slowly.
It's powerful, and so, so very true.
We have to stop looking in this world for answers. We have to stop looking in ourselves for good. And we have to stop thinking that doing either of those things will work.
Because they won't. The more you look at the world, the more you will be distressed. And terrified. And anxious. The more you look at yourself, the more you will compare, and compare, and compare. There's always another person to compare to, another figure to become more like, another person to please.
You will never be satisfied with yourself.
So you have to look to Christ.
When you're looking at Him, you don't see the problems of this world, you see how He is in control of the problems of this world. You see that He is a good, good Father, even when bad, horrible things happen here on earth.
And when you look at Him, you see yourself how He sees you: perfectly you, perfectly created by Him to do what He has planned for you, and no one else, and wonderfully loved, no matter how deep your faith, no matter how much you sin, and no matter if you live a life like Corrie ten Boom, or not.
But, we have to remember, that just because the King of the Universe loves you and created you, does not mean your life will be easy, does not mean you will always feel loved, and does not mean He also loves your sin.
Hold Everything In Your hands Lightly, Or Else It Hurts When God Pries Your Fingers Open
Corrie could only say this with complete surrender after a lifetime of having her fingers pried open. She had everything you could ever ask for, and in just a few year's time, was left with what she had come to realize was the only Thing she could ever need, her Savior.
"You will never know that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have," she said.
But it took her a long time to learn that just because God loves you, does not mean life will be easy. Mathew 16:33 is the epitome of this reality. Jesus was talking to his followers and warning them that "in this world, you will have trouble." He was leaving them to go back to heaven, and it was going to be hard for them. But that's never how He leaves it. "But take heart," He said. "I have overcome the world."
And after watching her father, and sister die. After going through multiple death camps, nearly dying herself, and watching the routine deaths of thousands upon thousands, Corrie still held on to that hope. She knew that God has this world in His hands, and He has overcome.
All we are left to do is let go, and hold everything with open fingers.
God promises that life will be hard, that we will be aliens in this world, and that sin and death are powerful.
But He is more. He is stronger, and mightier, and He has already won.
This life is a mere speck in our existence, so hold everything lightly, and cling to Him.
The Measure Of Life, After All, Is Not It's Duration, But It's Donation
Like I just said, our life is a speck. Not even that. It is small, and tiny, and will most likely only be remembered by a select few.
And yet, with Christ by our side, we can do so much. He can use our lives to bring so much change, so much love, so much life. Our insignificant, ordinary, plain lives can be transformed into something so beautiful when placed in His hands.
When we choose to live by Him, and with Him, we can give so much to this world. So let's not try to measure our worth, or our lives, by what other people say, or what other people do, or what we have done.
Let's be defined by Him. Let Him define our identity.
Our life is so short, but when we make the choice to give Him control, He can do so much through us.
Never Be Afraid To Trust An Unknown Future To A Known God
Sometimes though, when we give our lives to God, it can be scary, unsure, and most probably dangerous. As humans, we have a tendency to want to know what is going to happen to us, and what is going to happen in our future.
We want to know.
But like Corrie so eloquently said, we don't need to know our future when we know our God. We don't need to worry about what is going to happen to us, or if it's going to be good, or if it will work out, or if we will be happy because we know that our God loves us, and will do the very best for us.
And, just to be clear, His best for us is in no way promised to be our best for us or our plans. Read Job if you want proof that sometimes, bad things happen to good people, and a good God allows that.
But knowing Who is in control of our futures is such a solid foundation for hope. We know that He will never leave us. We know that He loves us, and will take care of us.
So we can trust the unknown, the Known.
Worry Does Not Empty Tomorrow Of It's Sorrows But Today Of It's Strength
So please, don't worry about the future. You already know Who is in control of it. You already know that He is good.
Why would you worry about tomorrow when you already know He is going to be there with you, holding your hand, and guiding you along?
By worrying, you are in effect saying that you don't believe God can handle what you're worried about. You're saying you don't think He's got it.
And that is the scariest thing ever.
And now, I want to make one last point, slightly off-topic, but still one of Corrie's quotes.
Forgiveness Is An Action Of The Will, And The Will Can Function Regardless Of The Action Of The Heart
We are living in the midst of a culture that puts a very firm emphasis on feelings. What do you feel, why do you feel that way, how are you feeling, am I making you feel a certain way, did I hurt your feelings, etc.
But Corrie is emphatically clear in this quote: your feelings have nothing to do with anything.
It doesn't matter if you feel like forgiving, or loving, it matters that God commanded you to do those things and promised to give you the strength to carry out His commands.
It does not matter what your heart is feeling on a certain matter, is matters what God's word says.
God has given us the strength to follow His commands, no matter what our heart is telling us, no matter what our feelings tell us, and certainly no matter what the culture is telling us.
I can not say this enough: the only opinion that matters, has ever mattered, or will ever matter, is God's. He is the ultimate authority, and we have been commanded to obey Him, no matter what we feel.
So let's go out into this world and live a life that is not controlled by the temperatures of our hearts, but by the commands of our Jesus. Let's live lives that are different, guided by God, and never conforming to this world.
It will be hard, but He will be with us.
And if you want to hear more life advice from people like Glenn Cunningham and Joni Eareckson Tada, subscribe to my newsletter so you can be notified.