The Hiding Place
This book. Dangit. The Hiding Place is a book that every human should read. It is not a long book, about 16 chapters and 269 pages. Yet it is FILLED with glory, triumph, forgiveness, faith, destruction, abuse, poverty, illness, and HOPE.
I have NEVER cried reading a book. Furthermore, in my defense, I have never had to bite my lip because I’m fixing to lose it while reading a book. This book. Dangit. I feel like that needs to be my entire review.
Just Dangit.
The first part of the book talks about Corrie getting her new dress. They are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of her father, Casper’s, watchmaker shop. She stands in front of the mirror, looking at herself.
She states that girls now are wearing their skirts knee-length, and hers was still 3 inches from her ankles. As I read that, I think she is a teenager who may be “coming into her own” type of situation.
Then, I laughed out loud. Corrie stated that she wasn’t getting any younger and that the new dress made her look more critically of herself. She was 45 years old, unmarried, with a waistline that had long since vanished.
I guess I was surprised to see that she was not much younger than I was while reflecting on her appearance. I giggled out loud in the car while picking up my kids.
Then It Moves On
It talks about her life, family, and love for Karel. The severe disappointment was when she realized that her life would not look as she wanted it to in her mind. Yet, she was content living and loving her family well.
She was not “university” educated, but she was competent in her own right. Her father’s deep love for her mother and his children was inspiring. How he was so consistent with spreading the love of Christ to first his family, then others, was something that struck my heart.
He saw the good in all people. There were no differences. Just a plethora of humans, all created in the image of Christ. Oh, how I wish I could be that way. I’m not one to see a difference. Those people who are different, I want to get to know. Those “less than” people catch my eye. I want them to know they are seen, accepted, and loved.
Details
The details of the abuse, trauma, fear, and living conditions of NON-Jews who helped Jews are astonishing. The treatment of Jews was something I could not even wrap my head around. I cannot conceive of the sights, sounds, touches, smells, death, and fear. The thoughts of experiencing those senses send shivers down my spine.
Yet faith, hope, love, and forgiveness were not far from the minds of the ten Boom family. It is awe-inspiring how they orchestrated what they did and the people they saved.
Quotes I Marked
“There are no ‘ifs’ in God’s World. The center of His will is our only safety.”
“Childhood scenes rushed back at me out of the night strangely close and urgent. Today I know that such memories are the key not to the past, but to the future. I know that the experiences of our lives when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do.”
“My job was simply to follow His leading one step at a time, holding every decision up to Him in prayer.”
“Joy runs deeper than despair.”
This Book
I will plan on reading this more. There are moments that I can look back on throughout my life that I could have done differently. Honestly, there is a different flavor to those memories. I wish I had a reset button.
God has spoken to me through this book. What a lesson. May I continue to heed His words and see His people through a new lens of life.
You must be logged in to post a comment.