How to Find Joy When You're Going Through Pain
When her family was caught hiding Jews from the Nazis, Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsie, were imprisoned in the concentration camp called Ravensburk. But Corrie and Betsie smuggled a Bible into their flea-infested barracks and read it regularly. One day, while praying, Betsie said something that disgusted Corrie.
In the nightmare of a concentration camp, Betsie thanked God for the fleas that plagued them.
Corrie said she refused to be grateful for the bugs that tormented her. That’s understandable. But something surprising happened that changed her mind.
Years later, Corrie learned that Nazi officers refused to enter her barracks because of the fleas. Those annoying little insects protected Corrie and her sister from being raped and abused by their captors.
When Christ was born in Bethlehem, the angels announced his birth to shepherds in the fields. Shepherds in the first century were the outcasts of society. Some believe they were considered even lower than prostitutes and reeked of sheep and manure. But they were the first to receive the good news.
It was strange for shepherds to find joy in the birth of a baby. Nobody would’ve listened to a shepherd. But nobody could’ve guessed how much this baby would change the world when those shepherds went to Bethlehem to see him.
The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. (Luke 2:20, NLT)
We can often find a glimmer of joy in our pain when we practice gratitude for the strange and mundane things in our life. This holiday season, thank God for the fleas.