Thankful for Fleas

I shared a little of this story in Pastor's Pals this past Sunday. Corrie ten Boom and her family were arrested by the Nazi's for hiding Jews in their home in Holland. She and her sister Betsie were imprisoned by the Nazi's at the notorious Ravensbruck concentration camp. She and Betsie, devout Christians had managed to smuggle a Bible into the camp, and secretly studied the word and prayed together. In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie tells how she came to realize that God was working even in the worst circumstances. 

The living conditions in the camp were pretty deplorable.Corrie writes:

"Barracks 8 was in the quarantine compound. Next to us--perhaps as a deliberate warning to newcomers--were located the punishment barracks. From there, all day long and often into the night, came the sounds of hell itself. They were not the sounds of anger, or of any human emotion, but of a cruelty altogether detached: blows landing in regular rhythm, screams keeping pace. We would stand in our ten-deep ranks with our hands trembling at our sides, longing to jam them against our ears, to make the sounds stop.   

"It grew harder and harder. Even within these four walls there was too much misery, too much seemingly pointless suffering. Every day something else failed to make sense, something else grew too heavy."

Yet, in the midst of the terrible conditions, the women found comfort in the little Bible studies they held in the barracks. Corrie writes they gathered around the Bible "like waifs clustered around a blazing fire…The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the Word of God." 

When they were moved to Barracks 28, Corrie was horrified. The barracks was packed beyond capacity and the straw covered bunks that they were forced to sleep on were infested with fleas. Corrie wondered how could they could possibly live in such a miserable place?

It was Betsie who discovered God's answer:

"'Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus." That's it, Corrie! That's His answer. 'Give thanks in all circumstances!' That's what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!'   

"I stared at her; then around me at the dark, foul-aired room…" 

They thanked God for the fact they were together. They thanked God they had a Bible. They even thanked God for the horrible crowds of prisoners, that more people would be able to hear God's Word. 

And then, Betsie thanked God for the fleas.

"The fleas! This was too much. 'Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.'"  

"'Give thanks in all circumstances,' she quoted. 'It doesn't say, 'in pleasant circumstances.'  Fleas are part of this place where God has put us."   

"And so we stood between tiers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong."

As it turned out that Betsie wasn't wrong; the fleas were a blessing after all. The guards were aware of the flea infestation in the barracks and refused to go in. The women were able to have Bible studies in the barracks with a great deal of freedom, never bothered by supervisors coming in and bother them. Through those fleas, God protected the women from abuse, harassment and even worse cruelty.  Dozens of desperate women were free to hear the comforting, hope-giving Word of God. 

We all have "fleas" in our lives. We all have things that are unpleasant, painful things that we want gone from our lives. But is often the "fleas", the unpleasant, difficult things in our lives that God uses to accomplish His purposes in our lives. Our greatest burdens may also contain our greatest blessings. As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, lets thank God in all of our circumstances, and for the hidden blessings that often come disguised as "fleas."