| Loving Jesus When It's Hard - article by Joel Hempel
Recently, I was graciously challenged by a story I read in a book by Corry ten Boom entitled Tramp for the Lord. Many of us are going through tough times; the rest of us will eventually. When life presses on you and the pressure mounts up, it is difficult to think about our love for Jesus and what we can do for him. Corry ten Boom, as you may know, was a holocaust survivor whose family protected and gave shelter to Jews in Holland until the entire family was arrested and imprisoned. Corry was the only survivor. She then lived the rest of her life telling her story and pointing others to Jesus who gave her the courage to live, forgive, and love again. But the story is not about her. It is about a woman Corry visited who had translated her books into Russian and other languages. We were in Russia . . . I had climbed the steep stairs . . into the one-room apartment . . . The old woman was lying on a small sofa, propped up by pillows. Her body was bent and twisted almost beyond recognition by the dread disease of multiple sclerosis. I walked across the room and kissed her wrinkled cheek. She tried to look up, but the muscles in her neck were atrophied so she could only roll her eyes upward and smile . . . I reached over and kissed her index finger. It was the only part of her body she could control, for it was with this one finger that she had so long glorified God. Beside her couch was a vintage typewriter. Each morning, her faithful husband . . . would prop her into a sitting position on the couch . . . Then he would move that ancient black typewriter in front of her on a small table. All day and far into the night, she would type. She translated Christian books into Russian, Latvian and the language of her people. Always using just that one finger – peck – peck – peck – peck – she typed out pages. I looked at her wasted form on the sofa, her head pulled down, and her feet curled back under her body. “Oh, Lord, why don’t You heal her?” I cried inwardly Her husband, sensing my anguish of soul, gave the answer. “God has a purpose in her sickness. Every other Christian in the city is watched by the secret police. But because she has been sick so long, no one ever looks in on her. They leave us alone and she is the only person in all the city who can type quietly undetected by the police.”* When hard times strike, though it may feel like it, God does not quit caring about us, nor does he abandon his plan for our lives (see Romans 8:35-39; Jeremiah 29:11). It is not likely that God imposes suffering on us. Such pain comes from the evil one and our broken world. Thus, God will not let Satan or our challenges defeat us. But he needs our help; he needs us to let him continue to work his healing in our life; and he needs us to remain open to God leading us to the good work he has prepared for us (see Ephesians 2:10). What incredible honor we bring to Jesus when we give from our brokenness (see Mark 12:41-44)! *Tramp for the Lord, Corrie ten Boom, CLC Publications, pages 187-189. | 
