Don't repay evil for evil.
Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you.
Instead, pay them back with a blessing.
That is what God has called you to do,
and he will grant you his blessing.
1 Peter 3:9, NLT
As I've been reading and learning about the lives of remarkable men and women in conjunction with our 1 Peter series, I'm amazed at the depth of character borne out of hardship and suffering. Though each lived in a different time, through different circumstances and in different parts of the world, they each understood that as long as they looked to Christ as Lord, they ultimately cannot be harmed. A good life, is not one without hardship, but one lived trusting in the goodness and grace of our Lord.
Corrie Ten Boom's story may be familiar to some of you but for those of you who don't know, she was a Dutch Christian watchmaker who helped many Jews escape from the Nazis during World War II by hiding them in her home. She and her family were caught and sent to concentration camp and while she was eventually released, her sister died at the camp.
Corrie went on to establish a post-war home for other camp survivors and she also wrote an autobiography, The Hiding Place. In her book, she writes an account about forgiving a vicious German guard who tormented both her and her sister. As unimaginable as it is to forgive such a perpetrator, Corrie says this about forgiveness "I had to do it - I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us."
ResKids lesson for May 2:
Bible Memory Verse:
Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 1 Peter 3:8, NLT
Bible Passages:
For more on Corrie Ten Boom
1. Corrie ten Boom House (Museum in Holland)
2. Corrie ten Boom: The Courageous Woman and the Secret Room
ResKids Storytime
Corrie ten Boom read by Laura Wickham