Thankful, Even for Fleas

This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte.

This is a beautiful time of year when many people, regardless of spiritual or religious beliefs, take time to reflect on what they have to be grateful for. Even those who are suffering through hard times or illness will strive, at least for the holiday season, to list a few blessings in their lives and to give thanks for them.

As Christians, it’s easy to say that we should be thanking God for our blessings all year long, but we don’t always succeed at doing that, and sometimes we don’t even know the blessings that we should be thankful for. God’s ways are not our ways, and the path is rarely smooth.

The past few years especially have been a hardship for many, with fear and uncertainty, the loss of friends and loved ones, and an atmosphere of contention and judgement. It can be difficult to see where God might be working, how He is still caring for us even when we can’t see the direct evidence. Yet, we should still be giving thanks and trusting that He is at work, nonetheless.

A few years ago, I read the book “The Hiding Place” by Corrie ten Boom, and it has since become a favorite of mine and one that I turn to regularly for consolation and wisdom.

Corrie and her family were Christians living in Holland, and during World War II they became leaders in an underground movement to hide Jews and help them escape the country. When they were eventually discovered, Corrie, her father and her sister were arrested and sent to the German work camps. “The Hiding Place” is Corrie’s memoir of this time.

With such a context, one might be shocked to hear that I find the book to be remarkably uplifting. It is though, because it was written with an inspiring perspective of faith, not to mention hope and charity.

There is one instance particularly that always comes back to me, that has lodged in my mind ever since I first read it.
When Corrie and her sister, Betsie, were moved to a new work camp in the heart of Germany, they discovered that the bunkhouse where they would be living, in addition to being massively overcrowded, was entirely infested with fleas.

It was more than the sisters thought they could handle, but with great faith they asked for God to help them and so began praying. They had been able to smuggle in with them a Bible, and that very morning they had read the passage from 1 Thessalonians: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Seeing that God had already given them an answer on how to bear this situation, the sisters gave thanks that they were at least together, that they had their Bible, that the packed bunkhouse would allow them to reach that many more women with the Word of God. However, when Betsie gave thanks even for the fleas, it was almost too much for Corrie. But Betsie pointed out that they are told to give thanks in all circumstances, not just in the pleasant ones.

With the aid of their contraband Bible, the sisters began to lead prayer services for the women every day. As Corrie describes, “They were services like no others, these times in Barracks 28. A single meeting night might include a recital of the Magnificat in Latin by a group of Roman Catholics, a whispered hymn by some Lutherans, and a sotto-voce chant by Eastern Orthodox women … At last, either Betsie or I would open the Bible.” Corrie goes on to explain that at first they called these meetings very timidly, but they grew bolder as the nights went on and no guards ever approached or interrupted them. They soon began leading services twice a day, and a prayerful peace settled throughout the entire barracks, where before there had been great strife, frustration and misery.
‘God is always with us, always watching over us and providing for us even when we aren’t aware of it.’

It wasn’t until much later that they learned the reason behind their fortunate lack of supervision: it was because of the fleas. The guards themselves were so disgusted by the infestation of fleas that they never stepped foot inside of the massive barracks, thus allowing the women more freedom than could otherwise have ever been hoped for.

How many eternal souls were saved by those prayer services in Barracks 28? Only the Lord knows, but it can be certain that even in those dark and horrifying times He had not forgotten His daughters.

This is just one example among many, as well as among countless others that we’ll never know, of how God is always with us, always watching over us and providing for us even when we aren’t aware of it. A perceived discomfort might be protecting us from an even greater deprivation.
Children don’t see the countless things that their parents do to protect them and keep them safe, and they might complain at the abject cruelty of being forced to endure a bath, consume vegetables, or keep back from an enticing fire. We are all children of God. We must trust that He is doing what’s best for us even when we don’t understand it.

As we reflect on our lives and on God’s mercy and love this holiday season, let us truly try to give thanks in all our circumstances. Even for the fleas.