Thankful in Everything

In her wonderful book, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom relates an amazing story about the importance of being thankful. Corrie and her sister Betsy were held in a concentration camp known as Ravensbruk, where they lived in barracks that were plagued with lice. Lice were everywhere—in their hair and on their bodies.

One day, Betsy said to her, “Corrie, we need to give thanks to God for the lice.”

Corrie said, “Betsy, you have gone too far this time. I am not going to thank God for lice.”

Betsy said, “Oh, but Corrie, the Bible tells us, ‘In everything give thanks.’ “

Still, Corrie did not want to thank God for the lice. As it turns out, Corrie and Betsy were trying to reach the other women in their barracks with the message of the gospel, and they had been holding Bible studies. Corrie found out later that because of the lice, the guards would not go into those barracks, and therefore, they were able to have their Bible studies. As a result, they led many of the women to the Lord. So it turns out that God can even use lice.

If the Bible said, “In some things give thanks,” I would say, “No problem there!” But it says, “In everything give thanks.” That is not an easy thing to do.

This verse doesn’t say we should give thanks for everything as much it says in everything. There are some things that happen, and I’m not glad they happened. But I am glad that, in spite of the tragedies, God is still on the throne, and He is still in control of all circumstances that surround my life.