In one of Corrie and Betsy’s early Bible studies, they read 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Betsy said, "Corrie, we must thank God for this room." Corrie was indignant. "Why? This room is small and crowded, and it smells!" "Yes," Betsy replied, "But it keeps us warm and dry, and we should thank God."
"We should also thank God for our food," she persisted. Corrie was incredulous. "Why? It smells terrible, tastes worst, and isn’t fit for dogs!" "Yes," Betsy replied, "But it keeps us from starving, and we should thank God."
"We should also thank God for the fleas," Betsy suggested. Corrie was now livid. "Fleas? Fleas? They bite me and itch, and I dare you to tell me one good thing these fleas do for us!" "You’re right," Betsy allowed, "But I still think we should thank God for the fleas."
And so, each night, the young ladies studied their Bible, prayed, and thanked God for the crowded room, pitiful food, and legions of fleas.
Finally, the camp was liberated, and it occurred to Corrie that no guard had ever searched their room for contraband Bibles or caught them during their long Bible studies. She asked a guard why. "I’d have to be crazy to go into that room!" he asserted vehemently. "That room was infested with fleas!"
And so Corrie learned that her faith had been protected by a legion of God’s soldiers - fleas - and she learned at last why God wanted her to be thankful for them.
I don't know about you, but I am way more inclined to tahnk God for a FLEA MARKET! It is much more difficult to be thanful when things are not the way we want them to be. It's days like this that I am gently reminded of a great quote from Charles Swindol:
"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it" - Charles SwindollI made a Powerpoint slide (back in tha' day) and posted this in my cubicle - I was amazed at the number of people who where inspired by this quote! It stayed with me through several job changes. Now, as stay at home mom with a burgeoning art business, I need it more than ever!
So, I updated my reminder - please feel free to download it or share it with others!
Or click here to order a notecard from my Zazzle store. :)
And I can't do just one - here's a retro-vintage style for you too!
Which one do you like best?
The second one. I tend to drift towards earth tones :)
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