Good news……today starts a new year and the opportunity to start anew with hope.
At the start of every year, I like to read Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. Her wisdom inspires me to have hope at the start of a new year regardless of previous disappointments, losses or even failures.
Corrie ten Boom authored many books and was most famously known for The Hiding Place, the incredible story of her life. The title refers to the secret place where the family hid countless Jewish people needing help in their home and is based on this scripture, “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word” Psalms 119:114.
The ten Boom family were Dutch Christians who helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust of WWII. When their home was raided after an informant tipped off the Nazis of their activities, the entire family was imprisoned.
Corrie and her sister were sent to a notorious Nazi concentration camp. She was miraculously released from prison just days after her sister had died in the camp.
God brought incredible beauty and healing through Corrie’s difficult journey. She understood that you can never learn that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have.
Was disappointment, loss, fear of the future, or failure a part of your journey in 2018?
Remember, there is HOPE for you and me in 2019!
Corrie’s famous words still have great relevance and impact today and should inspire us regardless of our circumstances:
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God”
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength”
“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart”
Saint Francis of Assisi once said, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
Let’s start the year off right by trusting God with our future, making an intentional decision to worry less and a willingness to graciously forgive.
From the team at Nebraska Family Alliance, we wish you and your family a Joyous New Year!
Karen Bowling