Can You Be Grateful in a Concentration Camp? Corrie ten Boom was.

Some stories stick with you for life. Stories that don’t just inspire you, but challenge your entire view of what it means to live with faith, hope, and, perhaps most radically, gratitude. Corrie ten Boom’s story is one of them. Corrie and her younger sister Betsie were not Jewish. They were Christians who, during World War II, worked with their family to rescue Jews from the Nazis. Their home functioned like an underground railroad, a quiet refuge in a storm of hatred. Eventually, they were caught. They were arrested and taken to a German concentration camp. What happened in that camp became the foundation of one of the greatest lessons on gratitude you’ll ever hear.

The Barracks of Bitterness, or Gratitude?

Corrie and Betsie arrived at Barrack 28. It was massive, cold, and falling apart. Windows were broken. Rags hung where the glass used to be. The bunks were long wooden platforms stacked in tiers, each one crammed with 8 to 10 women. There was no privacy. No warmth. And indeed, no comfort. It smelled terrible. The straw mats were rotting. The latrine was backed up. Everything about it screamed despair. Then the fleas came.

Within minutes of lying down, both sisters were being bitten. Corrie tried to sit up in panic and smacked her head. Fleas were crawling everywhere. There was no escape. For most of us, that might have been the breaking point. But not for Betsie. She prayed.

Gratitude Born from Desperation

Betsie had a way of speaking to God as if He were right there in the room. And in that dark, foul-smelling place, she asked Him what they were supposed to do. How were they to survive this? How could they find God here? Then she remembered something they had read earlier that day from the Bible they had miraculously smuggled in: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Betsie decided they needed to obey. Right then. Right there. And so they began. They gave thanks that their Bible hadn’t been confiscated. They gave thanks for having a roof over their heads, even if it was broken. They gave thanks for still being alive. Then Betsie said it. “Thank God for the fleas.” Corrie couldn’t do it. Not that. She drew the line there. But Betsie did it anyway. “Thank you, Lord, for the fleas,” she whispered.

God Used Fleas to Protect Their Faith

Weeks passed. Corrie and Betsie led secret Bible studies right there in the barracks. They shared the Gospel with other women. They prayed aloud. Amazingly, they were never stopped and never interrupted. Not once did a guard burst in or take their Bible. Then one day, Betsie figured it out.

While fixing socks inside the barracks, the women had a question for the guards. They asked the head guard to come inside. But the guard stood at the door and refused. “I’m not stepping in there,” she said. “That place is crawling with fleas.” That was it. The fleas had kept the guards out. The fleas had preserved their freedom to worship. To teach. To spread hope in a hopeless place.

Everything they were able to do in that dark environment, the prayers, the preaching, the discipleship, was possible because of something so awful, so small, and so annoying—the fleas.

What Are the ‘Fleas’ in Your Life?

Gratitude is easy when life is easy. But what about when everything falls apart? When you’re living paycheck to paycheck? When a relationship ends? When your health declines? When the loneliness won’t let go? In those moments, gratitude can feel offensive. Out of touch. Even impossible.

But giving thanks in all circumstances does not mean we give thanks for the pain itself. It means we trust that God is present in it. Working through it. Using even the fleas to protect, shape, and move us toward His purpose. Corrie ten Boom didn’t thank God for the cruelty of the camp. She thanked Him for His presence in the middle of it.

How to Start Practicing Gratitude Today

You don’t need to be in a concentration camp to start cultivating this kind of faith.

Here’s a simple way to begin reframing your perspective:

1. Celebrate God’s Goodness.

Take a few minutes to name the things you can be thankful for right now. They can be small, a cup of coffee, a roof, a smile. Gratitude begins with awareness.

2. Acknowledge His Presence.

Remember Philippians 4:5-6: “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

3. Present Your Needs.

Gratitude isn’t a denial of struggle. It’s a way to make room for hope. Once you’ve thanked God, tell Him what you need. Trust that He hears you.

Even Fleas Can Become a Blessing

Corrie ten Boom’s story teaches us something that might change the way you live today.

Gratitude isn’t just a good idea. It’s spiritual resistance. It’s a declaration that God is still good, still near, and still working, even when everything around you says otherwise. So whatever your “fleas” may be, take a moment today and do what Corrie and Betsie did. Thank God for them. You may not understand it now, but one day, you might.