Allistair Begg’s said, “There is no place to serve God except where he sets you down.” What terrible places Corrie Ten Boom found herself ‘set down’! During WWII, she and her family concealed Jews in their home. The Gestapo raided the Ten Boom household, and within a short time both Corrie’s father and beloved sister Betsie died. Miraculously, Corrie survived Ravensbrück Death Camp. Upon her release, instead of growing weary and embittered, her experiences produced a harvest of healing and freedom from hatred. Corrie “traveled light” for the next thirty years.
traveling without resentment, possessions, or worry
She told her audience, “This is what the past is for! Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for a future only he can see.” Her life, so unremarkable for the first five decades, overflowed in her later years in an abundant wealth of service to her Lord. Corrie made a practice of traveling lightly wherever God set her down, without resentment, possessions, and worry.
traveling with complete trust
In your daily walk with Jesus, do you “travel light”? In Mark 6:1-13, Jesus sent His inexperienced disciples on their first mission trip without Him. He instructed them: “Take nothing for your journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.” James Lawrence comments: “Traveling light means that we are trusting in Jesus. We only need to follow instructions and trust our boss. Traveling light also reminds us that we already have everything we need to serve our Lord. We don’t need to make more money or have more time. Jesus already offers everything we need right now to do what He is asking of us.” Traveling light means traveling with complete trust in Him.
traveling with complete dependence
“No bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts.” R.C. Sproul wrote: “When He said ‘no bag,’ that did not mean ‘no suitcase.’ It meant no beggar’s bag. Jesus, when He sent out the Twelve on this occasion, said: ‘No stash of money. You can’t ask for money on this trip. You depend on My Father at every point of this mission. No bag. No extra bread.’” Traveling light means dependence on Jesus every day.
being present
Jesus also told the Twelve, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.” Have you ever been in a situation where you just wanted to pack up and scram? Because it is presently uncomfortable, your mental energies already search for a better situation? What if the apostles disobeyed Jesus and didn’t stay until it was the right time to leave?James Lawrencepaints the scenario: “They get to a town, and even as they start telling people about Jesus, they are looking ahead to the next town. They are not really listening to people’s questions. They have already left, in a way.
“This happens nowadays too. You probably know people who are constantly looking for a better job, a bigger house, and on and on. Jesus was wise enough to know that this restlessness is human nature. So, he instructed them to stay where they were until they were called to leave.” Traveling light means completely being present wherever God has you now.
serving where he sets you down
God used Corrie to minister while a prisoner in Ravensbrück. Upon her release, He called her to a larger ministry that carried her across the globe. In Ravensbrück, she had endured unspeakable horrors, but didn’t lose sight of God’s love for her and the thousands she ministered to, both in and out of prison. Her memoir “Tramp for the Lord” is a classic. Regardless of your life’s current situation, do you choose to travel light with Jesus? “There is no place to serve God except where he sets you down.” Travel light.
Click to read a short bio of Corrie.