Social Spiders

      Spiders are creatures that we don’t typically get too close to. They are characterized by eight legs, fangs for injecting venom, and up to four pair of eyes! Spiders use hydraulic pressure to control their legs, and this is why the legs of a dead spider curl up. They have two or more pairs of spinnerets for spinning silk for various uses. Most spiders are severely lacking in the social skills area. They typically live alone, are very aggressive, and would just as soon eat another spider as look at it.

     Out of the over 40,000 species of spiders, there are a handful that defy the typical “non-social” stereotype. These “social spiders” live together in communities of up to 50,000 spiders. They work together to build communal webs that can be very large in size. These social spiders are known to catch and consume all sizes of insects and even small birds.

    I was able to see a group of social spiders in action, during a trip to the Amazon. We were motoring slowly down the Blanco River in the Tamshiyacu Tahuayo Reserve in Peru. Up ahead I saw something that looked like a cloud, hanging over the trees at the edge of the river. As we got closer, I could see that it was an enormous spider web! The web was as large as the side of a two story house! I was told that this was a spider web built by social spiders. We did not get close enough to see the size of the spiders, and nobody was asking to get any closer!


     Just as God designed the social spiders to depend on each other for survival, he designed people to also depend on each other. In I Corinthians 12 Paul tells us that we are part of the “body of Christ” and explains how it takes all the parts of the body functioning together to make us whole. We are not designed to live alone; we are created to work together in the body of Christ. A social spider taken out of its community web would not last long. Likewise, a person, taken out of their Christian community environment, may have difficulties. We need the encouragement and support of the Christian community. If you are struggling in your Christian walk, check and make sure that you are still in an active Christian community! Keep yourself surrounded by strong Christian friends and you will thrive just as the social spiders I saw in the Amazon!

Invisible Guidance

   The weather in central Texas is warming up. I think spring is just around the corner. I took my Newfoundland dog with me this morning on my walk through the woods. I was enjoying watching the birds and squirrels in the trees. My dog was consumed with a totally different thing. She was running along sniffing at every tree and bush. It was if she was in a different world, or a parallel universe, seeing things that were invisible to me. At times she would leave her “mark” on the side of the trail. Evidently she was using some type of invisible language to communicate with other animals. I had no idea what message was being communicated. 

    Seeing my dog respond to these invisible marks reminded me of how the Holy Spirit can be an invisible guide to help us along life’s highways! While on earth Jesus told us that the Father would send the comforter, or Holy Spirit, to guide us and show us things that are to come. There are multiple examples in the New Testament of the Holy Spirit guiding people.  Acts 10:19 tells us how the Spirit told Peter to go with the men sent by Cornelius. In Acts 8 the Spirit instructed Philip to go and join the Ethiopian man in the chariot.

    Thankfully today the Holy Spirit is still providing guidance for our lives. When I was in college, one of my very close friends was involved in a fatal car accident. It would have been an almost unbearable event, had it not been for the comfort and guidance of the Spirit.  The evening before the accident, when I started driving home from work, I felt the Holy Spirit moving on me to pray. I didn’t know what to pray for but I felt a really strong urging to pray. After driving across town, I decided to stop by my church and continue my praying. I spent several hours in prayer that evening. The next day, just after arriving at work, I received the word that my friend was involved in the accident. I then understood why I felt the need to pray.  God was preparing me for a difficult situation. We are so blessed to have a God, who knows the future, and prepares us to face each new day!

The Hunter or the Hunted?

     My rarest raptor sighting event was extremely brief but turned out to be one of the memorable events in my life. I almost ended up as the prey instead of the observer. It happened many years ago, when I was deer hunting in central Texas. I had climbed into a deer stand about ten feet up in an old oak tree, overlooking a large patch of oats. There was not much activity that afternoon, in the deer community. I had gotten bored waiting on the deer and had drifted off to sleep. I awoke after a while and open my eyes, but remained motionless so as not to scare off any deer that might have walked into my area. While scanning the oat patch below for the elusive deer, I caught a small movement in the sky, at the edge of my peripheral vision. I suddenly realized that it was growing larger and moving toward me at great speed! When I shifted my body and lifted my head to get a better look, I realized that it was a hawk that had detected my eye movement and decided to attack, not realizing my size. My movement was just in time for the hawk to abort his dive, passing a mere three to four feet from my head! The hawk passed close enough for me to feel the wind turbulence it generated. I can only imagine what would have happened if it had successfully completed its dive into my face! I’m sure that I would have been knocked out of the tree and possible broke a bone or two in the fall. I could have been the first fatality from a hawk attack! Thankfully the hawk and I both survived, to hunt again.
     Our spiritual life is often characterized as a battle field, good fighting against evil. There are times when we feel as if we are being attacked by the enemy. In Ephesians 6 Paul tells us to “put on the whole armour of God” and states that: “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”. Paul further tells us that to fight in this spiritual battle we need to arm ourselves with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God. So, make sure that you study the Bible and know how to use these spiritual “weapons”, and when you feel like you are under attack from Satan, just remember Isaiah 49:19: “… when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him”!

Temporary Blindness

     I woke up several times during the night and heard raindrops on my roof. After getting up this morning, I was surprised to look out the window and see that the skies were completely clear! After getting dressed I decided to go out and sit on my back deck, for my morning prayer. As I opened the door I was greeted by a surreal view! It was as if everything has disappeared. My usual view, overlooking a canyon, was totally obscured by a thick fog. I could only see for a few yards. A flock of birds flying over the canyon had to make an abrupt maneuver, as they were about to fly directly into my house.

     Occasionally we encounter the same thick fog while driving. It can appear very quickly. You are driving 65mph down the road at night time when suddenly your visibility goes down to almost zero. You grip the steering wheel and you brake hard, hoping you can slow down before you run into something. It’s as if you were temporarily blinded! You then creep along cautiously at a snail’s pace straining your eyes to see the road or the car in front of you.

     In our spiritual lives we normally get directions from various sources, including the Holy Spirit, the Bible, preachers, and teachers. We seek God’s direction and guidance for decisions we make. We also seek direction from God during times of conflict. Events can occur in an instant that totally overwhelm us. All it takes is a phone call, a doctor’s report, or a text message. Our life can be turned upside down and we don’t know where to turn. We pray and we sometimes don’t get an answer. It’s as if we have run into the fog and we don’t know which way to turn.

     So what do we do when we are overcome by this “spiritual blindness”? The solution is very similar to our “fog” experience. You get a firm grip on God and you don’t let go. Keep up your daily prayer time, even if you feel that your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. Don’t allow anything to stop you from praying. You may need to stop some of the non-important things you are doing and focus on reestablishing your communications with God. Move slowly and cautiously. Give God an opportunity to speak to you. Also, make sure that there is not anything in your life that would keep God from talking to you. I John 2:11 tells us that “whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and… does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him”. I Peter 3:7 instructs us men to: “give honour unto the wife… that your prayers be not hindered”. You will usually get your answer in a few days, although sometimes it takes longer. God does not always give us an answer to every question or request we have for him. If after fervently seeking God, you do not get an answer; then proceed cautiously with your gut feeling.

     Just remember, when you are driving down life’s highways and are blinded by the “spiritual fog”, strive to stay on the path. Soon the fog will lift and you will again be able to see the path clearly!