Sidestepping Stagnation
The Hiding Place is Corrie ten Boom’s amazing account of her life around the time of World War II, especially the time she and her sister Betsie spent in a Nazi concentration camp. Both women were strong Christians, but in her book, Corrie recounts instance after instance when she was blown away by her sister’s faith. In one particular situation, Corrie and Betsie were shoveling dirt. Betsie was too weak to lift much dirt on her shovel. The guard chided Betsie, mocked her and eventually struck her across the face with a whip. Corrie shares first her own reaction, and then Betsie’s response:Without knowing I was doing it, I had seized my shovel and rushed at [the guard].Corrie and Betsie’s narrative is one incredible story among many that fill the history books of Christianity. Some, like Corrie and Betsie, were persecuted for doing what their faith led them to believe was right. Others were persecuted simply for professing to be Christian. Even in many countries today, Christianity is severely restricted or illegal. If you are going to be a Christian in these places, you have a lot to stand up against.
Betsie stepped in front of me before anyone had seen. “Corrie!” she pleaded, dragging my arm to my side. “Corrie, keep working!” She tugged the shovel from my hand and dug it into the mud. Contemptuously the guard tossed Betsie’s shovel toward us. I picked it up, still in a daze. A red stain appeared on Betsie’s collar; a welt began to swell on her neck.
Betsie saw where I was looking and laid a bird-thin hand over the whip mark. “Don’t look at it, Corrie. Look at Jesus only.” She drew away her hand; it was sticky with blood.
A few years ago, a woman named Li joined my church and shared her life story: She grew up in China, became a Christian by getting involved in an underground church, and eventually moved to the United States where she has lived for at least 15 years. What I remember most from her account is the difference between Christian life in China and Christian life in the United States. Before hearing Li’s story, I would have assumed that Christian life in the U.S. is preferable, but she feels quite the opposite.
Yes, the repression of Christianity is unpleasant, but it forces Christians to take a stand for their beliefs — to live a passionate life of faith or abandon the Lord altogether. China has no place for half-hearted Christians. Therefore, as a new Christian, Li learned from a zealous body of believers who could not live one day without evangelism at the forefront of their minds. When she moved to the United States, Li was frustrated to live among many Christians who were not as driven to grow in their faith and spread the Gospel as those she knew in China. The U.S. culture has a large, welcoming place for half-hearted Christians and sometimes even helps funnel Christians toward comfort with a faith that is not backed by much action.
When I think about it, I am not surprised by her conclusion. I even see it on a smaller scale in my own life. I’ve rarely faced persecution, but the times of loss, loneliness, abrupt change, feeling overwhelmed or making difficult choices are the times when I have grown the most and when my faith has shined the brightest. During the times that are calm, stable and consistently pleasant, I’m terrified of one thing: stagnation.
Whether it is a season of your life or a tenet of your culture, many of us encounter forces that encourage us to stay where we are, stop growing in faith and lose our passion for the Lord. While I would not wish persecution on myself or anyone, I almost wonder if apathy is a more difficult enemy to fight than hostility, simply because the approach to fighting it is much less clear. Li certainly wrestles with this. I wonder how Betsie and Corrie would have responded.
I do not have a good answer. Instead, I’d like to ask you: What truths from Scripture, lessons from your own life, or strategies do you use to sidestep stagnation and keep growing in your faith and your boldness for the Lord?
