When the Pressure Feels Too Great Dear Friend, Henry Goldzmit, best known by his pen name Janus Korczak, was born in 1878 in Warsaw Poland. He was a pediatrician and author of children’s books. In 1911 he opened a large Jewish orphanage called Dom Sierot. He loved children deeply and strived to take care of them in any way he could. When World War II began, life changed drastically for Janus and the orphans. In November 1940, the Nazis sealed the Warsaw Ghetto. Janus felt compelled to move his orphanage into the ghetto to help the children suffering inside. Conditions were horrific in the ghetto. Overcrowding, starvation, and disease threatened to crush the spirits of all the Jews inside, but in the midst of all this despair, Janus faithfully maintained the orphanage’s routines. The children were taught lessons, held concerts, and even theatrical plays within the worst conditions imaginable. Janus worked tirelessly to provide food, clothing, and medicine for the children. In July 1942, the Nazis launched a large-scale deportation of the Warsaw Ghetto Jews to their death. Janus was offered escape, but he adamantly refused. On August 5th, 1942, German police gathered Janus, 192 children, and a dozen staff members and deported them to Treblinka. Janus calmed the children, promising them a picnic, and bravely went with them to their death. His life is a testimony of responding to great despair with hope and faith. Janus never gave in to the evil all around him, rather, he fought tirelessly for the weak and defenseless orphans. Sometimes despair feels like a ton of bricks weighing on your shoulders. There are so many reasons why Christians might battle with despair and hopelessness. Like Janus, you might feel the crushing weight of wicked enemies who want to destroy your spirit. Maybe you despair of ever successfully fighting against your secret sins. Maybe you are suffering from injury, sickness, or the loss of a loved one. Most of the time, despair is the natural and right response to real wickedness and evil. Christians can faithfully respond to despair with hope and faith when they are deeply rooted in God’s love.
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