{"id":24,"date":"2017-05-03T09:09:05","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T09:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shop.honestreflections.net\/?p=24"},"modified":"2019-12-10T08:44:52","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T13:44:52","slug":"thank-god-for-the-fleas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2017\/05\/03\/thank-god-for-the-fleas\/","title":{"rendered":"Thank God for the Fleas!"},"content":{"rendered":"

“<\/sup>Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God\u2019s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” \u00a01 Thessalonians 5:18<\/strong><\/em>
\nThis can be one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. \u00a0It’s because of the word “in”. \u00a0People get that confused with the word “for”. \u00a0Often times people think we are to thank God “for” our circumstances, and that is hugely different than thanking Him “in” our circumstances.
\nThe last time my husband and I experienced a flat tire along the side of the road, I wasn’t thankful “for” the flat tire or the delay in our schedule. \u00a0I was however thankful “in” the circumstance for my husband.\u00a0He changed the tire and got us going again.
\nThe reality is, we are all going to have “flat tires” in life. \u00a0They come in the shape of job loss, divorce, death, \u00a0or illness. \u00a0Flat tires can take many forms.\u00a0They are usually unexpected and can be devastating. \u00a0None of us are immune to it. \u00a0Watching a parent struggle with a wayward child \u00a0is heartbreaking. \u00a0Watching friends surround and lift up that parent is life giving. \u00a0It is what you can be thankful for “in” a bad situation.
\nOften, it is the people that surround us in the midst of the flat tire that we can be the most thankful for “in” the circumstance. \u00a0Just as my husband changed our flat tire, when my nephew died he held me in his arms while I cried. \u00a0When \u00a0I lost my job, he lifted me up and supported me. \u00a0When he lost his Mom, I sat by his side as she slipped away. \u00a0Neither of us are thankful for the circumstances, but we are thankful we get to go through them together.
\nWhenever I’m struggling to find something to be thankful for “in” a circumstance, I always start with the fleas.
\nCorrie Ten Boom was arrested for hiding Jews during World War II, \u00a0along with her sister, Betsie. They were taken to Barracks 28 in Ravensbruck. \u00a0A room that was full of fleas. \u00a0 When Corrie complained about the fleas, \u00a0Betsie\u00a0reminded her of the verse they had read that morning. \u00a01 Thessalonians 5:18, “be thankful in all circumstances.” \u00a0Corrie didn’t think she would ever thank God for the fleas, but they were thankful for the Bible she had hidden that the guards hadn’t found.
\nA pattern quickly developed in their life as they settled into their \u00a0new reality. After 11 hour work days they would come back to Barracks 28. \u00a0Each evening they read the Bible aloud to the other prisoners, and to the fleas. \u00a0At first they kept a look out, afraid the guards would find them. \u00a0Anyone caught with a Bible would be killed. The guards never bothered them, so they became more bold.\u00a0 They started reading the Bible\u00a0twice a day. \u00a0More and more women listened to the word of God being read in this tiny, cramped room.
\nThen, one day, Betsie discovered why the guards never bothered them. \u00a0It was the fleas. \u00a0They refused to come into Barrack 28 because of the fleas. \u00a0Corrie had no choice, she had to thank God for the fleas!
\nWhen I’m trying to find something to be thankful for in a difficult situation I start with the fleas. \u00a0I start small. \u00a0I find one little thing to thank God for in my circumstance, which leads to another thing, and then another. \u00a0It can be people, it can be objects, it can be fleas.
\nLook around, in the midst of the flat tire are there any fleas? \u00a0Start there!
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God\u2019s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” \u00a01 Thessalonians 5:18 This can be one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. \u00a0It’s because of the word “in”. \u00a0People get that confused with the word “for”. \u00a0Often times people think we are to thank God… Continue reading Thank God for the Fleas!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","hentry","category-uncategorized","post_format-post-format-image","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1613,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24\/revisions\/1613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}