I never did fall back asleep last night. My soul was in too much turmoil. So I decided to watch a movie to distract me. I think there was a little divine intervention at work because the movie I picked was exactly what I needed.

Of all movies on my Amazon Prime watch list, I picked The Hiding Place. It's based on the true story of Corrie ten Boom, who with her sister and father ran a safe house and helped smuggle Jews fleeing the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. They were arrested and imprisoned, Corrie's father dying in a matter of days and she and her sister being sent to concentration camps.

It's a difficult, moving film to watch, and it wrecked me, but in the best way. It brought tears, but also clarity and peace.

In my last post, I shared frustration about the latest drama on Twitch and was seriously considering quitting as a streamer and viewer. But a line from The Hiding Place hit me hard. I actually had to pause the movie after hearing it and weep for a few minutes as it sunk in.

There's a scene where a couple members of the underground are talking to Corrie and her sister Betsy, asking them if they really do want to use their home as a safe house for Jews. Betsy says:

Truthfully, I’d rather do anything else. I’d like to close the door and never open it again until this whole hideous thing is over. But that’s me. My Lord Jesus tells me to open the door to whatever comes, to give His love in whatever way I can. And I will listen to His voice, not mine.

This is exactly how I feel about what I do on Twitch. My voice is telling me to quit. God's voice is telling me to give His love in whatever way I can. And I cannot deny that Twitch has been a way for me to do just that.

Several people have told me that tuning into my stream has helped them out of a dark place or made them feel good or brightened their day. And I have to believe that alone is worth all the trouble and drama that comes with Twitch. So I'll keep trying.

Another aspect of the film that moved me was Betsy's unwavering faith in Jesus Christ despite the horrific conditions of Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she eventually died. Their beds are infested with fleas and lice and Corrie says she doesn't think she can give thanks for the pests. But it's soon revealed that the fleas and lice are what keep the Nazis from going any further into their barracks than the doorway, giving them some privacy and freedom at least in that space. So they were thankful for the fleas.

There's another line from the film and something Corrie ten Boom often said when telling her story.

No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still; with Jesus even in our darkest moments, the best remains and the very best is yet to be.

And that's from a lady who survived a concentration camp. I aspire to have even a fraction of the faith in Jesus Christ that she and her family did. And it makes my problems seem so manageable by comparison.

I believe the very best is yet to be for me and for you – for all of us.

And now I need to add the book The Hiding Place to my reading list.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 114) # faith #gratitude #life #movies #books #Twitch #Christianity