
He said to me, ‘Sufficient for thee is My grace, for My power in infirmity is perfected;’ most gladly, therefore, will I rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of the Christ may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 YLT
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12 BSB

Betsie ten Boom, spoke the following words to her sister Corrie, not knowing that the next day would be her last day on earth: “Corrie, when we get out of here, we must tell people that there is no pit so deep that He’s not deeper still. And they will listen to us because we have been here.” (For those who don’t know, the “Here” she spoke of, was Ravensbrück Nazi concentration camp).
“Corrie, they will listen to us because we’ve been here.”
Though most of us have never experienced the horror of a concentration camp, we have our own version of Because we’ve been “here…”
In my own case; childhood trauma, the gut-punch pain of burying two precious little ones, relational betrayal, the paralyzing fear of domestic violence, financial reversal, the searing pain of prodigals and a few others too personal to speak of. Yet, as with Corrie, such pain has provided a platform. A platform to tell (Shout, scream and sometimes whisper through tears) of the sufficiency of Christ. My life and all I walked through; indeed, all my writing is simply an attempt to find ways to share that truth. Not that He has, or will, lift His divine hand and wave away my troubles, but that I have found His grace, faithfulness and presence sufficient. And to encourage others that He will do the same for them.

I have an aversion to the type of “Christianity” that speaks of suffering as if it were an anomaly. As if we’ve been given a free-pass card on the trials of life because of our relationship with Jesus Christ (see 1 Peter 4:12). The truth is, we could begin in Genesis and go all through God’s Word, until we reach Revelation and see how God’s people have suffered. Greatly. Sometimes because of their own bad choices and sometimes because of the raw reality of real life. But always within His sovereign control. And as Believers, with the embedded promise that He will bring good from all we face.
Often, part of that good is the opportunity He grants us to share how He walked us through a trial rather than removing us from it. Even coming out the other side without bitterness or resentment, and with a determination to allow Him to leverage our pain for His purposes and encourage those around us that His grace is sufficient, with a, “here I am as living proof” testimony.

Read again, Betsie’s last words, “They will listen to us because we’ve been here.” What is your “Here?”
Whether a literal prison cell, a gut-punch tragedy, or a low-grade but all-encompassing disappointment, will you use your story for His glory? They will listen to you because of where you’ve been.
“If you’ll quit moaning and crying, I’ll use the things (trials) to make you into someone I can use in the lives of others to show them that no matter where they’ve been, no matter how deep the hole, no matter how painful the trial, there’s hope.” – Kay Arthur
Oh, My Father, I would never have volunteered for these painful trials, and yet I can so clearly see Your divine hand bringing good from them. I am so thankful for the platform the pain has provided. All for Your glory. In Jesus, name, Amen.
Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus
























