“Always be joyful.  Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT

Corrie ten Boom tells of a time of thanksgiving in her book, The Hiding Place.  She and her sister, Betsie, were thrown into the Ravensbruck Camp during WWII because they were caught hiding Jewish people in their home.  The barracks was infested with fleas.  They found comfort in the Lord as they read their tattered bible, and they held secret bible studies.  The passage 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminded them to “Be thankful in all circumstances.”  Betsie suggested they be thankful for everything, including the fleas.  Corrie disagreed, telling her sister she would not be thankful for fleas.  Corrie eventually succumbed to Betsie’s persistence to be thankful IN all circumstances; and they gave thanks for even the fleas.  Later on, they found out the Nazi officers would not enter the barracks because of the fleas.  After that, they were free to have bible study any time they wanted.  God had used the fleas to protect them.

Sometimes, blessings can come out of adversity.  It’s easy to give thanks when things are going well in our lives.  But what about the fleas?  Fleas look different for each person; financial issues, marital crisis, or health problems can overwhelm our thoughts.  Can we give thanks in spite of the fleas in our lives?  It’s hard to be thankful in our trials, and it takes practice.  We need to persevere in our thankfulness.

“We thank you, O God!  We give thanks because you are near.  People everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds.”  [Psalm 75:1 NLT]  The Hebrew translation for the words “give thanks” in this passage is Yada.  God loves when we give thanks to Him, particularly when we are in the midst of trials.  He especially loves when we share our yada’s with others.

Yesterday, my sweet friend, Betsy and I drove up to Milestones Recovery Center.  We go up there once a month to share Christ’s love and an encouraging word.  These ladies have been through so much adversity in their lives, and they have come to a place of healing.  We talked about persevering in our thankfulness and we talked about fleas.  And then, we yada’d.  We gave thanks for everything.  Each yada was sweet, beautiful music to my ears.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.  They yada’d for their children, for their recovery, for their safety and some yada’d for their very lives. And, they even yada’d for the fleas.  That room was sacred holy ground and we felt the presence of the Lord.  And when we left, we floated out to the car, as if God had carried us out Himself.  We were so full.

My yada is this:  I am so thankful the Lord saved me from myself.  I am so thankful for my family.  I am so thankful for the beautiful ladies at Milestones.  And I am so thankful for the sweet angels that God has sent to help me walk this journey (you know who you are.)

Would you be willing to leave a comment on this page sharing your yada with others?

Peace be with you.

~Julia