Grateful for the Fleas

Rejoice always; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:18

It amazes me that some people can have such impenetrable faith, and even in the most dire circumstances, they remain absolutely unshakeable. I think back to the Apostle Paul and the trials and tribulations he suffered to spread the gospel. I remember Jesus and the unimaginable suffering He went through to bring us salvation. Later, nearly all of His original 12 apostles would be martyred, and all of them (except for Judas) would face heavy persecution. The story of Christ, salvation, and the spread of that wonderful news has always been one of difficulty and strife. Fervently preaching the gospel to the lost souls who need it is rarely a glamorous event filled with wealth and luxury. Most of the time, those who are called, those who would give their lives fully to Christ, are called to suffer as He did.

One particular example that uplifts my spirit and fills me with a deep sense of awe is that of two Dutch sisters who were captured by the Nazis during WWII and imprisoned in a concentration camp. Before their capture, they defied Nazi commands and hid fleeing Jews in hidden compartments in their home and created an underground network to smuggle them to safety. They risked everything and ultimately gave up everything for that cause, knowing full well the inherent risks and the likelihood of capture. When they were finally caught, they suffered unimaginable horrors in the camps, yet their capture was not the end of their story but only a new beginning. Their capture became the most impactful and beautiful part of their righteous calling. Dedicated to their mission to serve Christ, they took more risks even after being captured. Though it would have been a very grievous offense, they smuggled a Bible into the prisons with them, recounting a miraculous tale of how they avoided being discovered. While in the tortures of starvation, thirst, filth, and fleas, they ministered the gospel to countless souls headed for certain death.

Corrie Ten Boom is the only one of the two sisters who survived the nightmares she and her sister, Betsie, experienced. Her ministry saw the death of her elderly father, who died in prison. Later, she was forced to watch her beloved sister grow ill and finally die in that very camp. Betsie left the world for glory, leaving only her smiling corpse in a sea of bodies behind. Yet, rather than sinking into despair, Corrie remained unwavering in praising the Lord. I cannot imagine a faith so firm, so unshakeable, yet this is exactly what all of Christ's followers hope to attain.

One particular moment in the book stands out in my mind when I struggle to find beauty or goodness in the world. When the two sisters are brought to the camp, they discover that the unimaginably filthy and overfilled barracks are also riddled with fleas. At first, Corrie is disheartened and asks Betsie how they can live in such a place, but later, the Holy Spirit moves Bestie, and she reminds Corrie of The Apostle Paul's words in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "Give thanks in all circumstances..." and she encourages Corrie to give thanks for the fleas. Though Corrie protests and wonders how God could possibly ask us to be grateful for fleas, Betsie reminds her of the last half of that verse, "for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."

I am most moved by Betsie and Corrie's later realization that their ministry in these despicable circumstances could continue, and their smuggled-in Bible was not discovered or confiscated because of those fleas. The fleas kept the prison guards from going into the barracks unless absolutely necessary. God's sovereign hand brought the fleas, and as awful as they may be, they served a holy purpose. They afforded the prisoners time and space to praise the Lord, worship, and learn the gospel. Who can know how many souls were saved because those fleas kept the guards at bay? How many hymns were sung and sermons preached to those soon for death because of those biting, itching pests?

We cannot know the mind of God, but we do know that He makes all things work for His purpose. How often have I found my life full of fleas, irritations, and difficulties? Have I used the opportunities that they gave me to further the gospel? What might I have accomplished if I had not been mired in the pits of sorrow over the itch of their bites? There was a design that Corrie Ten Boom and her sister never knew, but they were cast into the pits of despair for my benefit, for your benefit, for the benefit of the gospel. Corrie Ten Boom and Bestsie's horrific trials in a Nazi concentration camp ministered to me decades later and continue to encourage me to rejoice in all circumstances when I'm feeling downcast. Even the Apostle Paul, while under house arrest or in prison, was blessed with time to write the letters that fill the pages of the New Testament. Those letters have shared the gospel with millions upon millions of people over nearly two thousand years. We cannot know the mind of God, for His ways are higher than our ways, but if we know that God has a mind, then we can have faith. We can have faith that our fleas are not a curse but a blessing.

If only we could pick our heads up and live for Christ, then we, too, could be grateful for the fleas.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. – Philippians 1:20-21