Let’s Be Betsies

Let’s Be Betsies!

We should be Betsies. You might have read that as “besties” or thought it was a typo. What we actually mean is, “Let’s be Betsies”. And that means doing something you might not have done before…thanking God for fleas.

But why would anyone thank God for fleas?

That was the question Corrie asked her sister Betsie. In June 1944, the sisters were arrested for hiding Jews from the Nazis and ultimately sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Upon their arrival, they discovered that their dorm was infested with fleas.
Though they were both Christians, Corrie and Betsie saw their circumstances differently. When they saw the fleas, Corrie was overwhelmed and focused on how bad the circumstances were. Betsie, however, immediately began to pray, asking God to help her see through eyes of faith.

“Show us. Show us how,” she prayed, asking God for guidance on how to cope in a situation that was going from bad to worse. God led her to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

The natural tendency for most people is to be a Corrie and to focus solely on the trouble at hand. But Betsie didn’t do that. Instead, she followed the Scripture. She prayed. Then, she and Corrie began giving thanks to God for every single thing they saw. Yes, even the fleas. They didn’t know why they should be thankful for them. But they thanked God for them anyhow.

They would later learn that the guards refused to enter their dorm because of the fleas. Though the fleas were a physical irritant, God used them to bring spiritual comfort. Women in Barracks 28 were free to worship, pray, and study the Bible together.
Thank God for the fleas!

In many of the places where The Tide ministry serves, the “fleas” look like anti-conversion laws, blasphemy laws that spread across South Asia. The “fleas” look like anger and hatred toward Christians that show up in the form of bullying, ostracizing, and even homes being burned. They show up as spiritual darkness that keeps someone separated from God.
It is difficult to hear the hardships that our brothers and sisters in Christ endure for their faith. There are “swarms of fleas” everywhere. Some have very nasty stings, such as the death penalty imposed upon those in Pakistan convicted of blasphemy against the Quran or Muhammad.

We choose to be a Betsie. While we are in touch with the reality of the situation, we are also very much aware that God’s promise never to leave us or forsake us is a guarantee!

His plan is for us to experience true freedom. It’s a freedom that breaks loose the shackles that keep them enslaved to sin and separated from God. It’s freedom from rigid devotion to rules, routines, and religion that can never save. It is freedom from the guilt and shame of sin and the eternal consequences.

We choose to be a Betsie by thanking God for your support and for you choosing to tell as many people as possible about the freedom in Jesus through The Tide ministry.

We encourage you to be a Betsie on behalf of those persecuted for their faith in Jesus. Pray that they will keep their eyes fixed on Jesus. Pray that their suffering draws them closer to Jesus. Most of all, pray that Jesus gets the glory as more people trust in Him.