To give you some setting, Corrie and her sister Betsie have been imprisoned in various concentration camps for almost a year. They have just arrived at a new concentration camp, Ravensbruck in Germany--the infamous women's execution camp. This is by far the most crowed camp, with the worst living conditions. They must crawl over hundreds of women in tons of bunked barracks to find their assigned spot, and when they do they find that this is infested with fleas...
"Betsie, how can we live in such a place?
'Show us. Show us how.' It was said so matter of factly it took me a second to realize she was praying. More and more the distinction between prayer and the rest of life seemed to be vanishing for Betsie.
'Corrie!' she said excitedly. 'He's given us the answer! Before we asked as He always does! In the Bible this morning. Where was it? Read that part again!'
I glanced down the long dim aisle to make sure no guard was in sight then drew the Bible from its pouch. 'It was first Thessalonians,' I said. We were on our third complete reading of the New Testament since leaving Scheveningen. In the feeble light I turned the pages. 'Here it is:
'Comfort the frightened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all....'
It seemed written expressly to Ravensbruck.
'Go on,' said Betsie. 'That wasn't all
'to one another and to all. 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. 'Such as,' I said.
'Such as being assigned here together.'
I bit my lip. 'Oh yes, Lord Jesus!'
'Such as what you're holding in your hands.'
I looked down at the Bible. 'Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages.'
'Yes,' said Betsie 'Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we're packed so close, that many more will hear!' She looked at me expectantly. 'Corrie!' she prodded.
'Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds.'
'Thank You,' Betsie went on serenely, 'for the fleas and for--'
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 piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.
Later in their stay at Ravensbruck, Corrie came in after her work day to find Betsie (who was too sick for outside work) waiting with excitment in her face. Betsie explained they had found why they had had so much freedom in their part of the barracks. (Throughout the stay, the guards wouldn't do inspections on their side, and without rounds, Corrie and Betsie were allowed to have more open readings of the Bible every night. They had translators there and they called it their own worship service.) Betsie went on to tell her that they had asked one of the guards to come in to answer some question and the guard refused---because the guard said the place was crawling with fleas.
Corrie's thoughts: my mind rushed back to our first hour in this place. I remembered Betsie's bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for.
----
I must continue to remind myself to choose thankfulness in all circumstances. I will never know when the Lord is using things I find as annoying or frustrating as fleas for my good.
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