Thank God For The Fleas!
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I'd been reading The Hiding Place, Cornelia ten Boom's story of wartime Holland, during the occupation by the Nazis. This courageous lady, together with her family and a few friends, helped shelter persecuted Jews.
Besides being amazing examples of God's grace and power, this lady and her sister, Betsie ten Boom, taught me a valuable lesson.
They were arrested for helping the Jews, beaten, imprisoned, and later sent to Ravensbruck, a concentration camp for women. The conditions there were horrific, packed full, dirty. The bunks were overflowing beyond the maximum capacity, and worst of all there were fleas on every bunk! The whole room was literally flea-infested, and those poor women had to live there.
Corrie complained; she was worried for the health of her sister Betsie. That they were together in the first place was nothing less than God's hand at work. But I digress. Anyway, Betsie suddenly reminded Corrie of the Bible verses they'd read just that morning: Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
So they began to thank God that they'd been sent to Ravensbruck together, that they'd managed to smuggle in a Bible by God's active help...then Betsie did the unthinkable. She thanked God for the fleas.
Naturally, Corrie protested. Why thank God for something so awful?! Betsie gently reminded her sister that the Bible said to thank God in all circumstances, not just pleasant circumstances.
The sisters managed to conduct Bible 'classes'; they set aside a time for worship and Bible-reading. The women who shared that bunk eagerly looked forward to this time of 'freedom'. This was the one place, in their bunks, where the security was lax. For some reason, the guards left them unguarded, where otherwise their every move will be watched by eagle-eyed officers.
Some time later, Betsie learnt of a wonderful truth - the guards left the bunks unguarded and absolutely refused to step into the rooms because of the fleas!
Once again, God worked in an unpredictable manner. Because of the fleas, they could conduct those worship sessions and spread the Good News! As a result, many women were saved!
So next time you face an uncomfortable situation, thank God. Everytime you're going through tough times, thank God. In all circumstances, give thanks to our awesome God!
Let us enter His gates with praise and thanksgiving!
I'd been reading The Hiding Place, Cornelia ten Boom's story of wartime Holland, during the occupation by the Nazis. This courageous lady, together with her family and a few friends, helped shelter persecuted Jews.
Besides being amazing examples of God's grace and power, this lady and her sister, Betsie ten Boom, taught me a valuable lesson.
They were arrested for helping the Jews, beaten, imprisoned, and later sent to Ravensbruck, a concentration camp for women. The conditions there were horrific, packed full, dirty. The bunks were overflowing beyond the maximum capacity, and worst of all there were fleas on every bunk! The whole room was literally flea-infested, and those poor women had to live there.
Corrie complained; she was worried for the health of her sister Betsie. That they were together in the first place was nothing less than God's hand at work. But I digress. Anyway, Betsie suddenly reminded Corrie of the Bible verses they'd read just that morning: Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
So they began to thank God that they'd been sent to Ravensbruck together, that they'd managed to smuggle in a Bible by God's active help...then Betsie did the unthinkable. She thanked God for the fleas.
Naturally, Corrie protested. Why thank God for something so awful?! Betsie gently reminded her sister that the Bible said to thank God in all circumstances, not just pleasant circumstances.
The sisters managed to conduct Bible 'classes'; they set aside a time for worship and Bible-reading. The women who shared that bunk eagerly looked forward to this time of 'freedom'. This was the one place, in their bunks, where the security was lax. For some reason, the guards left them unguarded, where otherwise their every move will be watched by eagle-eyed officers.
Some time later, Betsie learnt of a wonderful truth - the guards left the bunks unguarded and absolutely refused to step into the rooms because of the fleas!
Once again, God worked in an unpredictable manner. Because of the fleas, they could conduct those worship sessions and spread the Good News! As a result, many women were saved!
So next time you face an uncomfortable situation, thank God. Everytime you're going through tough times, thank God. In all circumstances, give thanks to our awesome God!
Let us enter His gates with praise and thanksgiving!
posted by sleepypurplepiglet at 6:51 PM
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