THANKFUL IN ALL THINGS

 

THANKFUL IN ALL THINGS As Thanksgiving approaches, a powerful story comes to mind — one that shows what it really means to give thanks in every circumstance. During World War II, sisters Betsie and Corrie ten Boom were imprisoned at Ravensbrück, a brutal Nazi concentration camp. When they arrived at their new barracks, they discovered it was filthy, overcrowded… and infested with fleas. Corrie was heartbroken. How could anyone survive in a place like that? But Betsie reminded her of the Scripture they had read that very morning: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Betsie believed those weren’t just words — they were instructions. So, she told Corrie they needed to thank God for everything in that barracks. Corrie agreed to thank God that they were assigned together. She thanked Him that they’d been able to smuggle in their Bible. She thanked Him that there were so many women who would hear God’s Word. But then Betsie thanked God… for the fleas. Corrie could barely get the words out. Fleas felt like cruelty on top of cruelty. But they prayed and thanked God anyway. Weeks went by, and something strange happened: every evening, the women gathered in the barracks to read the Bible, pray, and encourage one another — and the guards never stopped them. Not once. Finally, they learned why. The guards refused to enter that building...because of the fleas. The very thing that felt unbearable was the thing God used to protect them. This Thanksgiving, their story is a reminder that God can work through the things we least understand — even the things we would never choose. Sometimes the "fleas" in our lives end up being the very thing He uses for our good. Give thanks in all circumstances. God wastes nothing.