November 12 2019

Fleas and faith

Barbed wire fence against a dramatic sky. Grain added to increase the dramatic effect.

Scripture for today: 1 Thess. 5:18

In her famous book, “The Hiding Place,” Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom recalls an incident when God taught her about being thankful. Corrie and her sister Betsy had been transferred to Ravensbruck, one of the worst concentration camps in Germany. Upon their arrival, they were met with horrible conditions – overcrowding, disease, and worst of all, the place was crawling with fleas.

As they tried to settle in, Betsy encouraged Corrie to pray and be thankful. She quoted 1 Thess. 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Betsy told Corrie to thank God for all their circumstances — their safety, the Bible they had been able to smuggle in, their new friends, and even the fleas. Upon this proposition, Corrie begrudgingly thanked God for their circumstances, even thanking God for the fleas.

As the months passed, Corrie and Betsy began to hold Bible studies in their barracks, and many ladies came to know the Lord through them. This was highly illegal, but the guards never knew what was going on in the barracks because of one reason — they would not enter the barracks because of the fleas.

It can be difficult to be thankful in all circumstances, but we can know that God has a purpose even in our problems. We can trust His plan, even if it involves fleas.