Corrie ten Boom chose to stand up in the face of evil, helping hide Jews from the Nazis during World War II. When their efforts were discovered, they were imprisoned in concentration camps. Corrie and her sister, Betsie, ended up in Ravensbrück, a large camp in northern Germany that housed only female prisoners. While there, Betsie fell ill and eventually died on December 16, 1944. Shortly afterwards, Corrie ten Boom was released from Ravensbrück due to a clerical error just a few days before all women her age were sent to the gas chamber.

Following her release, Corrie traveled the world to tell her story. She met Billy Graham in 1960 and occasionally spoke during his Crusade events, sharing her story of intense hardship, endurance, and forgiveness in an effort to encourage others.

One illustration Corrie ten Boom particularly liked to use was that of a piece of embroidery in the shape of a crown. While the front side always looks so nicely stitched, the back unfailingly looks like a tangled mess.

Sometimes when things aren’t going well, life’s “threads” can look like a disaster. But, from God’s perspective on the other side, everything is exactly how it should be. Corrie would remind the crowds: “We see now the wrong side; God sees His side all the time. One day we shall see the embroidery from His side, and thank Him for every answered and unanswered prayer.”

Corrie lived with the assurance that God was in complete control and was Master of every situation. While she could have chosen to live with bitterness toward those who betrayed and imprisoned her, she instead chose to focus on how those difficult situations were used for His purposes. She would remind others, “Although the threads of my life have often seem knotted, I know, by faith, that on the other side of the embroidery … there is a Crown!”

You can see a recreation of the embroidery that Corrie ten Boom used for inspiration in our special exhibit, Corrie ten Boom: Victory Through Persecution. The exhibit will be on display through June 30.

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