In Every Circumstance

    It's really easy to see the negative in everything. It's really easy to look around you and point out all the bad. But what's hard to do, is to be able to see the blessing in the midst of the trial. Maybe you're like me, and you go through seasons in your life where you want to focus on the bad. It seems like everything's against you, so you want to bask in the bad and make other people sorry for you. But something I had to learn, and am continuing to learn, is that our joy shouldn't be based on our circumstances. My favorite example of this is from the Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. During WW2 Corrie and Betsy ten Boom were in a concentration camp for helping Jews escape the horrors of the holocaust. As they surveyed the barracks where they were supposed to stay, Corrie was repulsed by the sickening smell, the crampedness of the space, and the infestation of fleas that swarmed about the place. As they stared down the hall, Corrie wanted to do anything but thank God for their circumstances. Her sister, Betsy, on the other hand, told her that they were supposed to thank God in every circumstance. Reluctantly, Corrie and Betsy began thanking God for His blessings. They thanked Him for everything, for allowing them to stay in the same barracks at the concentration camp, to the fleas that infested the place. The fleas. How could anyone be thankful for fleas? How could anyone choose to be thankful in a concentration camp? 

    Reading this convicted me of my ungratefulness. My circumstances are not anywhere close to what Corrie and Betsy went through. If they can choose to be thankful in that place, then I need to change my mindset to be thankful in this. 

    So, in the middle of the trial, in the center of the pain, in the worst of circumstances, lift your hands and praise God for His blessings. Thank Him for everything, from the big things to the little things, that seem to have no importance. Thank Him for the fleas. For Corrie and Betsy, the fleas turned out to be a blessing. The guards of the concentration camp wouldn't come inside the barracks because of the fleas, giving Corrie and Betsy the chance to hold Bible studies, and spread the hope we have in Jesus to those who felt like all hope was lost. God is not worthy of our praise only when things are going well. He's not just worthy of our gratitude when the world is on our side. He's worthy of our praise right in the middle of our worst. Look around you. What can you be thankful for today? How can you choose to bring praise to our King, even when you'd rather focus on the bad. As we change our perspective, it will also change the way we view the world around us. Rather than seeing all the bad, we will see the blessing that God has poured out on our lives.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18