Proverbs 4:18, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (KJV)
In literature, characters can brighten our lives by reflecting God’s goodness through the story. They awaken our imaginations, and we yearn to become more like the characters we have fallen in love with. Likewise, when we meet someone in real life, that person can brighten our lives by demonstrating godly virtues. We want to follow the wise path these influencers have trodden because we see the reflected light of God’s goodness covering us.
Two of my favorite historical figures are Corrie Ten Boom and her sister, Betsie. In Corrie’s memoir, The Hiding Place, she describes their experiences at Ravensbrück concentration camp during World War 2. Betsie thanking God for the fleas moved me.
Reduced to Prisoners 66729 and 66730 in identity, the Christian sisters conducted Bible studies with the women of Barracks 28. They did so without interference—despite the banning of Bibles. The guards stayed away because of the fleas. Betsie’s thanking God for everything and Corrie’s reading Scripture aloud made them living witnesses and shining lights in prison, brightening the path for others to see God’s goodness in the darkest of times.
Betsie’s love pricked the hearts of her bunkmates and changed the women from swearing at one another for opening or closing the windows and stepping over each other to “Sorry” and “Excuse me!” Not only did she view the concentration camp as a ministry, but she also reframed suffering as an offering and a purposeful act of trusting in God amid all circumstances.
Corrie struggled to reflect God’s grace toward those who hurt her loved ones. How could she take Betsie’s advice to “Look at Jesus only,” when the guard whipped Betsie and left a bloody welt? Throughout her time at Ravensbrück, Corrie’s practical leadership and obedience to the Word of God demonstrated a life as a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. She coordinated Bible readings, shielded the weaker prisoners from the guards’ attention, and distributed vitamins.
Years later, after the war ended, she was able to forgive the guards and see her enemies through the loving eyes of God. Corrie’s obedience and grace to others modeled God’s goodness. Corrie and Betsie’s endurance and perseverance amid suffering and trials became a living testimony to the other prisoners—and to readers as well.
