Oh, my goodness, it is back to spiders again! You have to know, as much as I don’t want to, we will probably always come back to spider lessons. Plus, it is spider season after all. But the main reason we are back to spiders today is that I have a nice little spider bite on the top of my index finger. No idea how it got me there. My house is as spider-proof as any 60-plus year old house can be. There is most always a lingering scent of peppermint here. I have been told that spiders really do not like peppermint. I think this is a good thing. I happen to like the pleasing aroma of peppermint. It pleases me greatly.
A while back, a medium size house spider had the courage to allow me to see it. Because of my vision issues (no field vision), I rarely see the spiders that are here because they are too fast for my vision to catch. But this particular night I went into the kitchen, flipped on the light and there he was… just standing in the middle of the kitchen floor. He just stood there, looking at me challengingly (I’m sure), standing his ground! I ran for the STEM bug spray. I figured he would be gone by the time I came back; but he was still there, like he fought his way through the peppermint jungle and was not backing down now. He did not challenge me long though.
There are people who are (unbelievably) spider people. I am not a spider person.
Although, I was reading about spiders not long ago and found that there are some inside spiders and some outside spiders and they each like their own environment. I thought that was interesting because considering that, I now figure this lone warrior house spider was the relative of the outside spider I tangled with a few months ago.
Walking through the kitchen one afternoon, I thought I caught some movement close to the refrigerator. I looked down and there was this strange looking spider trying desperately to get to cover. So, there was the dishwasher close, the trash compactor and the refrigerator all within range. What does the goofy spider do? He finds a tiny, very tiny, flimsy, opaque onion skin that had not made it to the trash compactor. He scurries under it. I’m not sure who he thought he was fooling. He was bigger than the onion skin. This was another instance where I ran for the STEM bug spray; and yes, he was still there trying to figure out which way to go. He’d shed the onion skin but still had not gotten the lay of the land.
It seems to me that he was an outdoor spider that had come to visit his indoor spider cousin. He really did look like an outdoor spider. I’m afraid that his cousin left him on his own a little too long though. What did he do when he saw me again? He headed straight back to cowering under the pathetic onion skin…and no, he did not cower very long.
So here was this outdoor spider, in a strange place, hiding under this useless onion skin, out in the open, when he could have gotten under the dishwasher, trash compactor or refrigerator before I could have gotten to him. The silly onion skin was just a breath away from the massive refrigerator, a.k.a. “safety.”
The spider went right back to the onion skin even after he found no cover, no safety there. I guess he figured it had hidden him once, so he went back to it again, something he knew, instead of seeking the safety of something different, stronger and safer, like the refrigerator! Seriously! The onion skin was right next to the refrigerator!
We do the same thing so many times in our lives. We get in these situations that are out of our control and we run to the first place that we find, whether it is safe and secure or not; when our big, amazing, awesome God is standing right there, just a breath away, strong and safe, ready for us to run under His protection. But, no, we run right back to that dried out, crumbling onion skin and cower there as if it is going to provide protection. We take a lot of hits in life because we fail to see that God is the ultimate refuge for us.
You don’t have to “let” God see you. He is there, always there. Run to Him when you need His protection, His encouragement, His love. Just look for Him, He will always let you see Him.
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“God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah” (Psalm 46:1-3 NKJV)
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What is your relationship to the all-knowing God of the universe? Do you know Jesus? Do you know the peace that can come only from an intimate relationship with Him? You can know Him. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, born into human flesh, sinless, crucified and giving His life freely, buried, arisen on the third day, will come into your life and change the outcome of your eternity. You just have to be willing to believe and accept His truth.
Here is an excellent website that can give you additional information about making your decision for Jesus Christ! PeaceWithGod.net
Restricted Vision, Unburdened Sight 