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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAround Thanksgiving, our thoughts usually turn towards gratefulness and the things in our lives we can be grateful for. Food, clothing, shelter, family, friends, and the list goes on. God has truly blessed us in this country, and we should be thankful for those things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what happens when those things are taken away? What happens when hard times come upon us? Can we still retain that thankful spirit when it would appear that we have nothing to be thankful for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m often reminded of the story of Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsie. They were imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp for harboring Jews and were quite literally stripped of everything dear to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During this time, the two sisters were moved to a new location, and, upon arrival, they realized that their barracks were entirely infested with fleas. Corrie was in despair, wondering how on earth they could live in such conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that\u2019s when Betsie said something surprising, \u201cLet\u2019s pray and thank God for everything.\u201d \u201cThank God for everything?\u201d Corrie exclaimed. \u201cWhat could we possibly thank Him for?\u201d Betsie simply knelt down and began to pray aloud. \u201cDear God, we thank You for this barracks, and for our Bible that You allowed us to keep. And we thank You, God, for the fleas\u2212\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fleas?\u201d Corrie couldn\u2019t believe it. \u201cHow can be grateful for them?\u201d \u201cThe Bible says to give thanks in all things,\u201d Betsie replied simply. So, kneeling next to her sister, Corrie reluctantly gave thanks for the fleas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time passed in the camp, and Corrie and Betsie were able to hold Bible studies and witness to the other women in the barracks. The guards never gave them any trouble, which they had always wondered about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One day, when Corrie returned from working in another part of the camp, Betsie had some exciting news. \u201cYou know how the guards have never searched our barracks or interrupted our Bible studies?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d Corrie said. \u201cWell,\u201d Betsie continued. \u201cToday, I overheard the guards talking. \u2018I\u2019ll never set foot in those barracks,\u2019 one of them said. \u2018It\u2019s completely infested with fleas!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So even the fleas, which Corrie had been so reluctant to be grateful for, had been used by God to bless them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No matter what we are going through, or what we have experienced in the past, we can always be grateful to God. Everything in our lives happens for a reason, and He is working all things for good. We can trust that He knows what is best for us, even when it doesn\u2019t seem like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The words of \u201cThanks to God\u201d reflect this very truth. While it encourages us to thank God for the good things in our lives, it also urges us to thank Him for the bad things, as well. Often, it\u2019s the most painful things that are there to protect us and help us grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n