Hopewell Essential Oils (@HopewellOils)

Corrie learned this through brutal reality while she and her sister, Betsie, were living in the squalid conditions of Barracks 28 at Ravensbrück. She discovered that the fleas she initially loathed were actually God’s protection, keeping the guards from discovering their secret Bible studies. Corrie struggled with indignation and misery over the infestation of fleas, and in response, Betsie insisted they obey the command in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to “give thanks in all circumstances,” even for the fleas themselves, and Corrie chose to believe that safety is not found in avoiding suffering, but in fully surrendering to God’s sovereign plan regardless of her surroundings. Corrie ten Boom learned this through the brutal reality of the Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she discovered that the presence of fleas, which she initially loathed, was actually God’s protection that kept the guards from discovering their secret Bible studies. She applied this by choosing to “give thanks in all circumstances,” realizing that safety is not found in avoiding suffering, but in fully surrendering to God’s sovereign plan regardless of her surroundings. God’s will is the absolute reality in which we live. It shifts the focus from our own hypothetical scenarios to the firmness of His purpose. It is not the absence of trouble or the choice of a specific location, but rather the state of being aligned with His purpose. Even when we face trials or difficulties, being in the “center of God’s will” is the only true safety because it is the only place where we are fully under the care and established direction of our Creator. Romans 8:28 reminds us that this is not just about being in a “safe” place, but about the assurance that even in the middle of chaos, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”