Lessons From a Spider…

I do have a few neurotic and irrational fears but spiders are not one of them. Thanks to E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web I’ve only viewed spiders as helpful…as long as they don’t crawl on me.

There are lots of spider webs in my garden these days. Makes me wonder if they are moving toward their eventual demise as “fair season” will soon be underway here in Georgia. One of the great things about Charlotte was that she simply used what she had to make a difference.

Charlotte was smart.

She was also eager.

She could have simply felt bad for Wilbur and watched him go off to slaughter. Instead, she used what she had, her smarts and “web design” to save him. She didn’t do so seeking accolades for herself, her goal was simply to help someone in need.

How many times do we do “good deeds” expecting nothing in return?

Sure, it’s great when someone appreciates our efforts, but if they don’t we should not allow their indifference to dampen our joy of giving.

Wilbur was grateful for Charlotte’s efforts but people in our lives won’t always have that same affection for us when we do things that help them.

As I photographed my own “Charlotte,” I thought of what a great testimony this spider is.

My spider has done all it can to help itself by spinning a huge web. Now it simply waits patiently for breakfast to come to it. It is not crawling around stalking other bugs in my yard. The spider waits confidently knowing that what it needs will eventually find it.

How many of us are this confident in our faith?

We often sweat and toil trying to make things happen. We often struggle to keep our faith all the while playing out various scenarios in our mind. Very few of us wait as patiently and assuredly as this spider as we wait for God to deliver what we need.

  Instead of waiting, many of us construct our webs without Divine guidance. We may waste time, energy and end up frustrated as we attempt to concoct our successes instead of “being still” and allowing God to work on our behalf.

Often, we strive to “do something” when all God really wants in a situation is for us to “be still and know Him.”

It takes maturity to wait patiently. Young children lack this trait. Some of us “older kids” take a bit longer to learn it as well. Yet, at some point we must mature from mere infants into mighty believers in regards to our faith.

I am waiting on a few things in my life to bear fruit even as I’ve made my share of mistakes while I wait.  Despite my shortcomings, God proves Himself faithful again and again. I just need to remember God’s faithfulness the next time a crisis comes knocking on my door.

Patience and Expectancy.  If God can speak through a donkey, surely I can learn a thing or two from a spider…

There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
The rock badgers are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
The spider skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.   Proverbs 30:24-28 NKJV