by Eve Nasby
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart or for those who lack courage. There are highs and lows, adversity and wins which seem to balance each other like two kids on a teeter totter. But how much is too much when it comes to obstacles and challenges? When do you just throw up your hands and surrender to the fact that the sumo wrestler on the other end of the teeter totter is just not going to get off?
Corrie ten Boom endured unimaginable hardship and trauma during World War II. Yet she emerged with an awe-inspiring ability to forgive, advocate for hope and reconciliation, and inspire resilience in others after enduring numerous trials. Her life story provides striking lessons for us as entrepreneurs regarding the incredible human capacity for resilience.
Born in Haarlem, Netherlands in 1892, ten Boom lived a comfortable, contented life as a middle-aged watchmaker focused on the craft passed down from generations before her and sharing her faith enthusiastically with others.
In 1922, she became the first licensed female watchmaker in Holland. When the Nazis invaded, ten Boom and her family provided shelter for 800 Jews, becoming part of the underground resistance movement during intense persecution. They soon faced harsh consequences when the family was arrested on February 28, 1944 for concealing persons being sought by the Nazis.
Ten Boom’s suffering had only just begun. Her father died 10 days after arrest at age 84 and her sister Nollie endured unspeakable cruelty before perishing in Ravensbrück concentration camp. Corrie and her sister Betsie were transferred through camps before Betsie also died in December 1944. Alone, frightened but fortified by an inner resilience and conviction, ten Boom persevered imprisonment until her miraculous release on December 28, 1944 due to a clerical error.
“The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.”
Most entrepreneurs have not suffered such extreme personal calamity, but perhaps you have weathered your own storms – a betrayal, lawsuit, bankruptcy, losing a business. Ten Boom’s story offers lessons on anchoring our inner resilience no matter what the storm and rising like a phoenix out of the ashes.
Starting over at age 52 after burying her entire family, ten Boom courageously turned hardship into redemption. Her writing and global speaking engagements shared tales of hope, and resilience through faith and how love can overcome any evil. Ten Boom reminded that victim and perpetrator alike remained human, no matter how persecution warped one’s humanity. By sharing her story, ten Boom exemplified moving beyond bitterness into grace, evidencing the promise of renewal.
At age 84, ten Boom had traveled over 60 countries telling her tale over 50 years. Though wheelchair bound in those latter decades, she never lost her fighting spirit, modeling for the world the very meaning of perseverance through adversity. Ten Boom’s legacy remains the incredible example of her courageous resilience even at the darkest times, reminding us no matter the trauma – with faith, fellowship and defiance of spirit – better days will come.
