Giving Thanks When Circumstances Are Tough
In the Netherlands during World War II, Corrie ten Boom and her extended family risked their lives helping many Jews escape extermination by the Nazis.1 Eventually their ingenious system for hiding and smuggling the Third Reich's most-wanted was betrayed to the Gestapo, resulting in many of the ten Boom family being sent to prison. Corrie and her older sister Betsie were eventually transferred to the Ravensbruck concentration camp, a women's labor camp in Germany.
Throughout their ordeal the sisters leaned heavily on their faith to make the best of whatever situation they found themselves in. Betsie, especially, insisted that they must be thankful for all things.2 However, Corrie, whose gratitude had been remarkably resilient, finally came to the end of her rope in Barracks 28. Serving as housing for the prisoners, it was extremely overcrowded, foul smelling, and at the same time freezing cold. Many of the inmates were sick and dying, with the rest slowly starving, and the situation was made worse by the constant strife between nationalities.
All this was hard to bear, but the final straw for Corrie was the fleas. They infested the women's filthy mattresses, the scant bedding, and ragged clothing, making their unbearable life even more difficult. But Betsie insisted. To be thankful for all things meant being grateful for the fleas as well. Not entirely convinced, Corrie tried to follow her sister's example. Over the next few weeks something remarkable began to happen in Barracks 28. The small group of women who dared to meet together to sing, pray, and read aloud out of a smuggled Bible began to grow.
Amazingly, the sadistic guards never came in to break up these meetings or search the women for contraband. A spirit of compassion began to spread among the prisoners. Women who had been divided by language and ethnicity joined together to care for the sick and share their scant food. And though their conditions were no less harsh, many regained a sense of hope.
Later Corrie found out why the Nazi officers had decided to stay out Barracks 28. They couldn't stand the fleas! Betsie had been right to be thankful for the little vermin.
Between the pandemic, the wildfires, social unrest, and political upheaval, many people are finding themselves in circumstances where it's difficult to be thankful. And some states' response to COVID cases even complicated the possibility for families to gather together for holidays.
But there's always a reason to be thankful. And fortunately, it doesn't require you to deny your problems, but simply to shift your focus to the things you can be grateful for. When frustration threatens to overwhelm your present outlook, take a few mindful minutes to identify just some of the many things in your life worthy of thankfulness. You'll find it won't take long to restore your perspective to a more pleasant view.
In that spirit we want to say how thankful we are for our relationship with you, and hope that you and your family were able to enjoy a meaningful Thanksgiving in whatever form it took this year.
Sources:
1. htti::1s://en.wikii::1edia.org/wiki/Corrie ten Boom
2. htti::1://www.broadcaster.org.uk/section2/transcripUhidingQlace.html
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