39 Yea, and I also exhort you, my brethren, that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptations of the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye may not become his subjects at the last day; for behold, he rewardeth you no good thing.
"Live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessing which he doth bestow upon you." What great advice! I find that when I remember to do this, I am happy and grateful. When I forget to do this, I get grumpy and feel like life is unfair. It doesn't matter what is going on in our lives, there will always be blessings to count.
In the book The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom, the author recounts her time in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust. Corrie wasn't a Jew. She was a Christian who sheltered Jews, so she and her sister Betsie are sent to a horrific concentration camp. By a miracle, she is able to sneak in part of the New Testament and is able to read from it during her stay. Betsie tells Corrie that they must give thanks in all things. The following is an excerpt from the book of a conversation between Betsie and Corrie:
Corrie and Betsie are incredulous that out of all the barracks in the concentration camp, their barracks are the only one that the guards will not enter, thus leaving them some degree of freedom. They find out later, it’s because of the fleas. Corrie really is grateful for those fleas.” . . . ‘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, than 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, 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 look 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. “Bestsie, 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 a 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.
What can we find to give thanks for today? Everything in our life is a blessing, even the things that seem to be burdens or trials. So, my challenge is to start giving thanks today for everything you have. Everything, even if it's the "fleas" of your life--the things that are hard, annoying, or difficult. The Lord blesses us through our experiences here, and as we learn to be grateful for everything, we will find more joy in our lives.
Love,
Sister Jones
1 comment:
This is one of my most favorite examples of being thankful for all things and praying for all things. I think about this part of the book often when I am in a the middle of a trial or in a bad situation where I know I need to be more thankful to my Heavenly Father. Thank you Sister Jones!
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