Corrie ten Boom, Her Story
10. Is Forgiveness Possible?
DO YOU KNOW howit feels when your heart is full of hatred? We were working in an area where wrecked airplanes were piled together. We had to gather the many pieces and load them onto big trucks. It was terribly heavy work for us.
My sister Betsie was a very frail woman, and she could not lift much, but she did her utmost. Suddenly one of the guards noticed that Betsie was picking up only the little pieces, because the big pieces were too heavy for her.
Betsie said kindly to her, "Don't give me more to do than I am trying to do already, because I am not strong enough to lift these heavy parts."
The woman guard said, "You don't decide what you do. I decide." Suddenly the guard started to brutally beat Betsie. I have never been so enraged! The other prisoners held me back so | could not grab the guard.
When she had gone, I ran to Betsie, who had blood all over her face. She said, "No, don't hate, Corrie. You must love and forgive."
"T cannot! I am not able."
If there is hate in your heart, you cannot forgive. I knew this, and I also knew that Jesus had said: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Mark 11:26
After we were back in our barracks, I climbed out of the window and went for a little walk alone, and I talked with the Lord. I said, "Lord, I cannot forgive that JESUS IS VICTOR 397 brutal woman. It is more difficult to forgive when people you love suffer than when you suffer yourself."
Then the Lord reminded me of a text. I had my little Bible hidden under my dress. I opened it and read: ... God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.
Romans 5:5 Rsv
Suddenly I saw that what I was not able to do, the Lord, in me, was able to do.
I said, "Oh, Lord, I thank You for Romans 5:5. I thank You, Jesus, that You brought into my heart God's love through the Holy Spirit. Thank You, Father, that Your love in me is stronger than my hatred."
At that moment, when I was able to forgive, my hatred disappeared. What a liberation! Forgiveness is the key which unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness. What a liberation it is when you can forgive. Here again we see that we are not a wilderness, but a garden of the Lord, when we give our lives to Jesus. He does the job.