Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

One of my Christian heroes is a woman named Corrie ten Boom. In case you aren’t familiar with her story, Corrie and her family were caught secretly hiding Jews in their Dutch home during World War II. Consequently, they were sent to a Nazi death camp called Ravensbruck as prisoners themselves.

Despite being imprisoned in horrific conditions, Corrie and her sister Betsie continued to be faithful to God throughout it all. Even though it could have cost them their lives, the two sisters managed to smuggled a small Bible inside. Their present realty notwithstanding, both ladies persistently worshiped, studied and prayed.

Once arriving to their barracks in Ravensbruck, Betsie was reminded of Paul’s very words here in 1 Thessalonians. So she decided they should put it into action — right then and there. They started by thanking God for the obvious things such as being paired together and the Bible they held in their hands. Next, Betsie moved expressing their thankfulness for less-desirable things, such as the crammed, crowded spaces, which allowed for more people to hear them. Then, Corrie was caught off-guard when Betsie took their thankfulness to a whole different level…

She began to thank God for the fleas.

Yes, you read that one correctly. Two sisters who were imprisoned in Nazi death camps for helping Jewish people, were thanking God for the fleas that infested the very straw beds they were to sleep on.

While nothing will ever compare to the evils of a concentration camp, many of us find ourselves in flea-infested state of affairs today… A child is sick, a job is lost, a marriage is struggling, a checking account is empty. Sometimes life seems overrun with fleas!

But here’s the thing — those notorious fleas bothered the guards more than they bothered the inmates. In fact, the guards wouldn’t even go near their specific barracks for inspections. Therefore the two sisters were able to completely worship God, study his word, and pray together in the middle of a Nazi death camp because of those fleas.

We’ll never fully know on this side of heaven just how God is using the infestation in our present circumstances for our good. And since you can’t control your circumstances, you might as well focus on the things you can control — things like your attitude and obedience.

So don’t allow Paul’s words to the church in Thessalonica be a mere suggestion. Instead, treat it like the command it is… Always rejoice, always pray, and always give thanks to God.

Even when all you can see around you are fleas.