Corrie ten Boom is my personal hero.
Do you have a personal hero? Who is it? Have you thought about it?
I have a personal hero. It’s Corrie ten Boom. If you’ve never heard of Corrie ten Boom, she’s a Dutch woman, whose family hid many Jews during the Nazi reign. Her family was turned in by a spy, and Corrie’s family was sent to the concentration camps.
I had never heard of Corrie ten Boom, until I checked her autobiography, The Hiding Place, out of the library 15 years ago. By the end of the first chapter, I was drawn in to the story. I finished the book within days.
What struck me about Corrie is that even though she struggled with being bitter toward those who harmed her and her family, in the end she chose to forgive. I don’t know if I could. I thank the Lord that I have never been put in a situation so horrid. But I think I would be prone to bitterness, if I went through something so awful.
And that is why Corrie ten Boom is my hero. Despite the trials and hardships she went through, she chose to entrust justice to God, and chose to forgive those who wronged her.
In a world where we idolize the glamorous…Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan….I’d rather look up to someone with inner beauty. Corrie ten Boom passed away at age 91 in 1983. I suspect that by the time she died her physical appearance was one of an old woman who had survived much in life. But her heart and her words spoke volumes about the kind of person she was.
Corrie ten Boom certainly won’t be remembered for how much money she had. I’ve never heard that she was a good looking babe when she was young. But her faith and her attitude will be remembered for eternity. And that’s exactly the kind of hero I want in my life.
Who is your hero? Why do you look up to that person? Leave a comment!
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My hero is John Lennon
I have so many hero(ines) mostly…
Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells, John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Ann Moody to name some from America’s past–most of these people serve as inspirations to me because they either stood up for their beliefs knowing that there might be consequences and did it anyway or because their way of thinking was revolutionary for the time and it changed life for the better.
I too have read Corrie Ten Boom’s book, though, and was deeply moved.
Oh I love Corrie Ten Boom! She was a wonderful servant of the Lord’s. I think I’ve read all her books. The last one I read was about her father – “In My Father’s House”.
Blessings!
I have to say one of my heroes is the late Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. He spoke up for the poor and oppressed people in El Salvador and he was shot on the altar of his Church and lost his life for doing so.
I wonder if many of us would continue to speak out against injustice if we knew doing so would endanger our lives?
I was doing the Entrecard thingy and saw this lady’s face on your blog. I had not seen that face since I saw her on PTL some years ago. She was an awesome lady. I read her book, saw the movie and was in awe of her.
As you said, forgiving was what she did. I did not know whether I could do that or not when I read that. We are so blessed to have known about her!! Thank you for reminding me. God bless you richly!
The way you choose your heroes is a great sign of who you are. Corrie ten Boom’s attributes are those you like to see in yourself.
Thanks for sharing this look into you. And for sharing this great hero.
Corrie ten Boom was a wonderful woman. I am trying to inculcate excellent role models for my children. we avoid the media as much as possible, and what a difference! My kids have no idea who the latest sports or celebrities are.
We love Jesus! Also John Wesley, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, St. Paul, and so many others.
Good choice Lynnae!
I also think Jim Elliott is a good example to look up to. For those who don’t know, Jim Elliott was a missionary in Ecuador and lost his life in the remote jungle by an unreached tribe at age 27 or 28. His diaries were compiled into a book by his wife, Elisabeth. The book is called “Shadow of the Almighty.”
Well, I don’t know that I have one hero. I certainly have people I especially admire, from my mother to people in the Bible, to a childhood neighbor who suffered a chronic, painful illness but who was always joyful and kind. These individuals lived out the fruits of the Spirit and were inspiring to me.
I really liked what you wrote in your last paragraph. That’s such a good reminder. Being remembered for who we are on the inside is so much more important and lasting than beauty, riches, or fame. All of those things will eventually vanish anyway.
My hero is also a lady. Mother Theresa.
I first got to know about Mother Theresa when I was working in India.
If there were to be a list of people who have given so much to so many for so little in return, she would be in the upper ranks.