Thankful for Fleas and Lice: A Thanksgiving Day Thought

Greetings, ATS!

Several years ago, I read a book called The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.

For those of you unfamiliar with the lady or the book, she was a Christian who lived during the Holocaust. Its been years since I read the book, so forgive me if I get a few details wrong. But I believe she and her sister were hiding people in their house, were discovered by the SS, and sent to a concentration camp. Corrie survived; her sister did not. The book, The Hiding Place, recalls her experiences as a Christian in the concentration camp, and how her faith in God helped her through the ordeal.

Corrie managed to smuggle a Bible into the camp, and began to hold Bible studies in the concentration camp sleeping houses. Strangely enough, the guards left them alone....but why? It was forbidden to have bible studies .
Well, it turned out that the sleeping area was infested with fleas and lice. The infestation was so bad, in fact, that the guards stayed away from the building. Thus, the infestation was seen as a gift from God, albeit indirectly.

The thing I remember the most about this story, is that Corrie and her companions gave thanks for the fleas and lice. That amazed me.....and although I no longer consider myself religious, I think the message is a valid one.

Give thanks in all things.....even fleas and lice. You never know what blessings might come from such horrid circumstances.

To me.....this speaks to the power of perception. If you perceive a circumstance as a hindrance, then it will be. But if you perceive it as an opportunity....would that make it so?

What say you, ATS?

This is a good point. I guess anything has the potential to serve a purpose. You just never know under what circumstances.

These crabs though... I don't think they serve any purpose at all other than teaching me a lesson about "socializing" with women in punk bars I bet the crab shampoo manufacturers are thankful they exist though.

(Joking of course)

Good post.

If the context calls for it, why not? But if one thanks fleas and lice merely because they're fleas and lice, I hope they get an infestation.

Tragic and Awe-inspiring.

Only thing I can say.

S&F

reply to post by smyleegrl

Under control of such an enemy, i'm sure the lice would appear divine.The feeling would be very much of for and against.thanks for sharing.

reply to post by smyleegrl

I think it is idiomatic ! moreover Corrie (I mean Ten boom not Rachel Corrie who got downed by Israeli bulldozer ! ) was a writer not a historian !! fleas and mice are creatures of God !! so it means that they were thankful for their own creator for whatever they had even in that horrible situation ! I think this is the meaning of faith !!!!

So she is thankful that fleas and lice infested her living quarters so that the guards would leave her alone to read and discuss a fictional book full of absurdities, hatred, violence, racism, sexism, baby and animal sacrifices, and contradictions, resulting in the reader becoming more ignorant about life and the planet than they already were.

Using that asinine book as FIREWOOD for warmth instead of reading it would be something to be thankful for in reality.