Thankful for the Fleas

In a previous posting, I mentioned the book ‘The Hiding Place’, based on the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her sister during World War II, and how they were imprisoned in a concentration camp. Corrie’s sister was almost not of this world- instead seeming to belong to the heavenly realms. Her faith was unlike anything that I’ve read or heard of. The part of the book that impacted me the most was actually just a minor event, but its life application, I thought, was tremendous. During the latter half of the their time in the camp, the sisters were moved into a much more crowded women’s dorm with deplorable conditions. Worst of all was that the whole place was infested with fleas. Corrie’s sister, above all, was always thankful for everything, and when they arrived in the dorm, she excitedly demanded that she and Corrie give thanks for all of the women they could now minister to- and also for the fleas. Corrie said that there was no way she would give thanks for the fleas, but her sister convinced her and she begrudgingly did. As time passed, they could not understand why the guards never came in to search them, leaving their smuggled bible undiscovered and allowing them to read and minister to the women there. It was when Corrie’s sister was dying that the reason became apparent- the guards refused to set foot in the dorm because of the fleas.

Are we thankful for the fleas in our lives? Here’s another example- our pastor here told a story about how a business deal that their family business made led to him being taken to court in Delhi. The judge, after looking at the plaintiff’s papers for 10 seconds, decreed that he’d look at it in a week, which meant that our pastor would have to spend that week in prison while he waited. Think ‘Midnight Express’ or the stories of the ‘black hole of Calcutta’, and that will give you an idea of what prisons here are like. But the pastor’s first reaction was to praise God and give thanks. He didn’t know how he’d get through it, but he had peace and stood there calmly. Inexplicably, the judge stopped the next proceeding and reached over and took his papers again, and announced that he would actually deal with the case then and there, and the matter was settled.

With our return date of July 9th, the girls and I have been counting the days. Last week, Adam’s work decided that they needed him to stay for an important meeting in mid-July, which meant adding extra days to our trip. Even though it was just 4 extra days, it was a real blow for me and the girls. It’s like telling your kids two weeks before Christmas that you decided to have it after New Year's instead. I really struggled with this and was, quite frankly, very angry and depressed. After a day or two, I came to terms with it and tried to move forward. Then, two days later, Adam’s company said they need to move our return out another day on top of the four. Again, that went over as well as the proverbial lead balloon. I tried to tell myself to be thankful for the fleas and prayed that God would give me that spirit. The next day I tried to get out of my dark mood, when lo and behold, we were told that there were no flights on that new date, and we’d have to add yet another day. I was again extremely angry and tried to remember the fleas but sadly could not bring myself to be thankful for it. Its like God was saying, ‘Okay- let’s try it again…’.

So I failed the being thankful for the fleas test, but what I did learn was a huge lesson in the incredible awesomeness of God’s grace and forgiveness. I was really angry with God and told him so. I've never done that in my life, even in very bad situations (of which I've had my share). When I regained my senses, I realized what I had done- I had dared to tell the Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and the Omega, that I, the puny insect person, was angry with Him. I’ve done a lot of things, and still do things, that I’ve had to repent of, but for me this was completely over the line. I know all sin is equal in God’s eyes, but I felt like me expressing anger toward the Almighty was worthy of me being crushed like a bug. I am humbled by the thought that, thanks to the cleansing blood of Jesus, I could again come before the throne of the Father, completely forgiven.

Our new return date is July 15th. Thank you God for the fleas….