Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, but we can’t separate His arrival from His purpose.

The infant in the manger came to die on a cross so that we could live with eternal purpose. When faith in a God who sent His only Son becomes the foundation of our lives, it transforms how we live, how we love, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for others.

This kind of faith passed down through generations isn’t just a Sunday or annual Christmas practice.

It’s the lens through which we see the story of God’s love for humanity.

The ten Boom family understood this.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NLT)

The Hiding Place

One of the things that strikes me most about Corrie ten Boom’s story is the foundational element her family’s faith played in their actions.

If you’re not familiar with this story, Corrie ten Boom and her family were Dutch Christians who hid Jews in their home during the Holocaust.

Their watch shop in Haarlem became a refuge for Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. The ten Booms created a secret room in their house, a hiding place where Jews could stay until safer arrangements could be made.

By the time the ten Booms were arrested in 1944, they had helped save approximately 800 Jewish lives.

Corrie, her father Casper, and sister Betsie were sent to concentration camps for their actions. Only Corrie survived, later writing about their experiences in her famous book The Hiding Place.

A Legacy of Faith

In 1844, Corrie’s grandfather had been greatly affected by a sermon he heard about praying for the peace of Israel. When he got home, he decided that the family would gather and pray for the Jewish people once a week.

This tradition continued faithfully for 100 years, week after week, with the family united in one belief and one purpose.

That remarkable streak ended only on the night they were arrested.

Corrie’s story tells me more about her family’s faith than the fact that they were good people who decided to insert themselves into injustice.

It told me that their focus and faith were instilled so deeply that when the opportunity to insert themselves into history presented itself, the right decision was clear.

Their belief in God’s purpose for their lives was rooted in their relationship with Christ that informed every thought in their lives, and was followed up with diligent action.

For 100 years.

They didn’t just wake up one day and decide to hide 800 Jews from the Nazis.

Their support of Israel was integral to who they were as a family, passed down two generations and carried out week after week after week.

That’s not to say that the decision to hide Jews was easy. But it did make the decision more resolute and harder to run from given the legacy of faith in their family.

The ten Booms’ story shows how a lifelong foundation in Christ can shape extraordinary courage.

Unlike the ten Booms’ integrated faith, in the West, we have come to view our relationship with Christ as an add-on, an à la carte response to life when we struggle.

But following Christ is fundamental to our very existence.

The Gospel isn’t designed to just inspire us to live better lives.

It gives eternal significance to the decisions we make for ourselves and for others.

And it provides a Savior to cling to when nothing else makes sense.

Not Just A Religion

Like the ten Booms, who clung to Christ through unimaginable darkness, the Gospel reminds us that hope, renewal, and new life are possible even in our deepest struggles.

The early Christians understood this. Their faith wasn’t compartmentalized. It informed every aspect of how they lived, how they faced suffering, how they found joy.

Being an early Christian was no joke. There were considerable and grotesque costs.

Yet they persevered because they recognized that following Jesus wasn’t just a religious practice to separate them from “real life” but the very foundation that made their real lives count for something.

The Gift That Changes Everything

This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of the Savior, we’re reminded that His arrival was never meant to be separated from His purpose.

The child born in Bethlehem came so that faith like the ten Booms’ could exist. So that ordinary people could do extraordinary things because they’re grounded in something eternal.

The Christmas story isn’t complete without understanding why He came.

And when we grasp that purpose, everything changes.

How we live, how we love, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for others.

This is the perfect day to reflect on how the birth we celebrate transforms all areas of our lives.