Do you feel Halloween sneaking up? I do! So, I’ve got a spider web story to share. One morning years ago, as my sons and I we were rushing off into our day, we noticed a HUGE spider web – all perfect and symmetrical – hanging right in front of their bedroom window.
I suppose we noticed it because the light had captured the early morning dew glistening off of it. It was amazing! When we returned back home, early in the afternoon, the web was gone! Huh… Well, knowing how flimsy webs are, I thought of half a dozen reasons why the web had vanished. We felt a little sad, because it truly had been a thing of beauty.
The next morning, rushing off into our day again, my youngest ran over to check out the window. “Mom, look!” he cried. Sure enough, there was the web again – all perfect and symmetrical – hanging in the same place in front of their window. Huh… That afternoon – you guessed it – no web – it was gone again.
OK, not being a spider fan in general, I couldn’t explain this weird behavior. “I think he comes out at night,” the oldest said. (Evidently, “little boy” intelligence lets you figure out the gender of a spider. So, Charlotte was not in our window!) “Yeah,” chimed in the youngest. “Let’s spy on him.”
So, like two miniature detectives, my sons opened their window blinds JUST enough to see, but not so much that they would scare Mr. Spider. Around 5:00pm, just as dusk was approaching, I heard: “MOM! HURRY! You gotta see this!”
Well, I hurried – and looked out the window – and there was Mr. Spider painstakingly weaving his web. I think we watched for close to two hours. We were mesmerized by his little body as he crawled back and forth, following a pattern that only he knew.
We watched Mr. Spider every night for over two months, as he carefully re-constructed a web that he tore down every day. It was lesson in patience and perseverance. Mr. Spider taught me a great lesson about the value of slowing down. He was never in a hurry. His Day Planner wasn’t overbooked. He wasn’t frantic. He never “cut corners” making any part of his web. Every silk string was perfectly placed. He never gave up. He worked with PURPOSE.
How often do I lose my purpose – which is to glorify God – by frantically getting caught up in a “rat race” of activity? How often do I run around putting out the “immediate” fires while neglecting to tend to the forest? How often am I a slave to the “urgent” – while sacrificing the “important?” Do I equate “busyness” with “meaning?” Can anyone relate? Oh, Lord, let us learn the lesson of a simple spider web!
Memory Verse:
“Be still, and know that I am God!”
– Psalm 46:10 (NLT)
Prayer Prompt:
“Dear Heavenly Father, show me how to slow down, and to work with purpose. Help me start afresh each day, and patiently do the tasks You have assigned me. Train me to concentrate on the important things in life. Teach me that above all else, my aim is to glorify Your name….”
Contributing Writer:
Sharon Kirby
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