I don’t know what it is about September, but there always seems to be a tone of excitement that permeates the air during the month. Perhaps it’s because school is starting again or that autumn is just around the corner. It could be the eager anticipation of another football season or the reality that the holidays will soon be upon us. Whatever the reason, September offers a sense of exhilaration.

I recently spoke with someone who faced a major trial, and she said it was difficult for her to get excited about anything, including the month of September, because her problem overshadowed everything. Maybe you can relate to this. Perhaps you are finding it difficult to get excited about anything because of something you are facing today.

Our son-in-law recently was in a motorcycle accident, and as I write this, he is hospitalized and in critical condition. He and our daughter have a 4-year-old little girl and a 3-month-old baby boy. Needless to say, I have great empathy for those of you who are also dealing with intense challenges. Many people are facing heart-wrenching situations. 

During situations like this, I think back to a time many years ago when I heard Corrie Ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor, interviewed on the radio. Something she said during the interview has stayed with me through the years and has helped me endure difficult times.

Corrie was a Christian young woman in the Netherlands when the Nazis invaded her country during World War II. In 1942 she became active in the Dutch underground, and she and her family began hiding Jews in their home. Because of an informant, she and her family were arrested in 1944, and she and her sister, Betsie, were sent to Ravensbruck, one of the worst concentration camps in Germany. The conditions were deplorable, and Betsie eventually died there.

As I listened to Corrie being interviewed on the radio that afternoon, I shuddered as she described how the fleas and lice were so thick in her barracks that the guards would not enter. However, rather than looking at the situation as a living nightmare, Corrie thought of the fleas and lice as great blessings. She had managed to smuggle a Bible into the camp and since the guards would not enter the barracks, she took advantage of their absence and began a Bible study. What appeared to be a huge challenge ended up being the source of great blessings.

I never forgot Corrie’s soft voice as she relayed the story of the fleas. I would never again look at problems or trials the same way. Even as my son-in-law now hovers between life and death, I know that Corrie’s testimony and God’s Word are true. As it says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” 

Not everything that happens to us in life is good, but the Bible tells us that God can take our worst trials and work them for good. If you are having difficulty enjoying life because of a trial, I encourage you to give your trial to Jesus. There is no problem so great that He can’t turn it into a blessing. 

-- Psalm 91:15