The Hidden Blessings

Scripture Reading:

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." — 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him." — Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

During World War II, Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsie, were imprisoned at the Ravensbrück concentration camp for hiding Jews in their home in Holland. The conditions were horrific. They were moved to Barracks 28, a structure designed for 400 people but housing 1,400. It was suffocating, filthy, and swarming with fleas.

Corrie recalls feeling repulsed by the vermin. But Betsie, holding on to her faith, quoted 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "Give thanks in all circumstances."

Betsie told Corrie to stop and thank God for every detail of their new living quarters. Corrie thanked God for being together. She thanked Him for the Bible they had managed to smuggle in. But when Betsie said, "Thank God for the fleas," Corrie protested. "Betsie, there is no way even God can make me grateful for a flea."

"Give thanks in all circumstances," Betsie insisted. "It doesn't say 'in pleasant circumstances.' Fleas are part of this place." So, Corrie reluctantly prayed, thanking God for the fleas.

In the weeks that followed, the sisters were surprised to find they had incredible freedom in their barracks. They held Bible studies, prayed aloud, and read scripture to the other prisoners without ever being interrupted by the brutal guards. They couldn't understand why there was so little supervision in their specific building.

One day, Betsie overheard the guards talking. One supervisor refused to enter Barracks 28. Why? Because of the fleas.

The very thing Corrie hated—the infestation—was the specific protection God used to keep the guards away, allowing His word to bring hope to hundreds of desperate women in the darkest place on earth.

Thanksgiving is easy when the table is full, the family is healthy, and the bank account is stable. It is much harder to give thanks when we are walking through a valley.

However, biblical gratitude is not just a reaction to good things; it is a strategy for survival. When we thank God in the middle of a trial, we aren't necessarily saying we like the pain. We are acknowledging that God is bigger than the pain.

We often look at the "fleas" of our lives—the annoyances, the setbacks, the difficult people, the closed doors—and we complain. But we cannot see the full picture. We don't know what that setback is protecting us from. We don't know how that closed door is redirecting us toward something better.

This season, as you sit in quiet reflection:

List the obvious blessings: Family, food, home, health.

List the "fleas": The things that went wrong this year or the struggles you are currently facing.

Step out in faith: Thank God for the struggles, trusting that He is using them for a purpose you cannot yet see.