Courage

"Oh Father! Betsie! If I had known, would I have gone ahead? Could I have done the things I did?"

- Corrie Ten Boom

Today I want to talk about courage. I am reminded of the woman who wrote these words when I read about a recent decision made by the French president to have French school children learn the story of the French children who were victims of the holocaust.

Corrie Ten Boom and her family owned a watch shop in Haarlem (a city west of Amsterdam). The family decided to help Jews as well as those from other groups escape from the Nazis by hiding them in a secret place. Those people would then secretly leave the city on their way to safety. Of course this was very dangerous work; the threat of discovery was ever present. Of course Corrie did find the strength to help those people.

I am moved by that fact that, years later when recounting the story, Corrie still thought to ask of her self: would I have done it? The children of France need to not just learn the stories of the victims, but of the overcomers and those who helped them to overcome. The real courage comes not from showing bravery in the face of the Nazis (this is courage but the immediacy of a situation can make such bravery possible) but making the decision to put oneself in the path of those who would do harm to others.

We can all postulate as to what might become of us if we put ourselves in the position of doing something to take someone out of harms way, but will we be able to accept the decision and begin to live it day to day?