“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” Corrie Ten Boom
When we are traveling through dark times, it requires that we have an internal mechanism that allows us to do so with minimal stress and conserved energy. That internal mechanism is . . .
. . . trust.
Born on April 15, 1892, in Haarlem, Netherlands, Cornelia “Corrie” ten Boom, grew up in a devout Dutch Reform family. Following in her father’s footsteps, she became a watchmaker. During World War II, she and her family harbored over 800 Jews from Nazi authorities.
Corrie ten Boom and her family helped Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II, and saved nearly 800 lives. Their watch shop was an ideal front for a secret room built to protect the refugees seeking sanctuary. Betrayed by a fellow Dutch citizen, Corrie’s entire family was imprisoned. Corrie survived to tell her story in the book and movie The Hiding Place.
After the war, Corrie set up a rehabilitation center for concentration camp survivors, as well as for those who had cooperated with the Germans during the occupation.
She received many tributes for her efforts, including being knighted by the queen of the Netherlands.
Corrie died on her 91st birthday, evoking the Jewish traditional belief that specially blessed people are granted the privilege of passing on the same date they were born.
As a devout Christian, it was Corrie’s ability to trust that allowed her to remain resilient during the most difficult times. She stepped forward in her life with great courage to do what she believed was right. She did not allow the betrayal or losses of her life to bring her to the stagnation of bitterness or hatred. She believed in her own ability to bring good to the world, and she trusted in the life process, allowing the forces beyond her control to be what they were, and to rest in her own truth.
Whether you consider yourself a person of faith, or not, the jewel of truth that so brilliantly radiated in Corrie’s life was that she trusted – not without fear or struggle – but she trusted.
The same strength, resilience, and wisdom that Corrie used in her life is present in each of us. It is up to us to use these resources to create, contribute, and lead a life of dignity and peaceful satisfaction.
