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.

lessons learned from a spider b is for blessed devotional 10-2015  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” is 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.

lessons learned from a spider featured photo 2 b is for blessed devotional 10-2015  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

By Lilka Finley Raphael

Author, Editor, Gardner, Photographer, Pharmacist

26 comments

  1. Pingback: Lessons From A Spider… – Even In This

  2. Being still is one of the hardest things for me. And I’m not even entangled in the (WorldWide) WEB (get it?) of online gadgetry. It’s just a very tough discipline. And yes, I know the Scriptures that remind us that it is in stillness we will know Him more.

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  4. Pingback: Lessons From A Spider… | Fertiileground's Blog

  5. Lilka, a perfect and beautiful illustration of God’s provision. And wow, I shuddered when I enlarged that photo of your “little friend.” I loved Charlotte’s Web, too, and you captured every little hair on that spider.
    Terrific reminder to wait upon the Lord.

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  6. Once again you have managed to take an everyday common item.. this time a spider.. (a spider..really?).. and turned it .. (read: spun a web).. into a most inspirational devotional.
    Dear friend.. you are truly gifted..!! Blessings 🙂
    (I tried to reply earlier but believe I’ve done something wrong. Apologies if this is duplicated)

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  8. There you go again. Taking an everyday common item.. this time a Spider (really?).. and turning it.. (read: spinning a web).. into a most inspirational devotional.
    Dear Lady.. you are truly gifted..!! Blessings. 🙂

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  10. Oh Lilka, you are braver than I am! Spiders scare the heck out of me. But the lesson you take from them for us is a good one. And we do need to remember God is with us in our times of crisis…at all times!

    Hope all is good with you,
    Steve

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      1. Oh that wouldn’t surprise me at all! It almost takes a college degree to fill out college applications and take the entrance exams these days…

        Good luck with all of it and may your oldest find a great college experience!

        You and your family take care now,
        Steve 🙂

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  11. Such a powerful, beautiful and pertinent message, even more so as my garden is also full of spiders at this time of year; I will look at them differently after reading this. Plus I love Charlotte’s Web. Gorgeous photos too, gorgeous post…thank you Lilka so much for this 🙂

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  14. What a great post! I’ve always admired spider webs- as long as I’m not walking into them, lol- but I have never thought about spiders waiting for their “meal”. God’s creation is simply amazing! Thank you for this 🙂

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  15. Beautiful words. I usually have spiders in my garden, but this year, it froze so early that I wasn’t able to watch them. Love how you can learn something from everything you watch in nature.

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