This time of year, my family and I begin our delightful tradition of adorning our home with all the festive fall decorations and tidying up outside in preparation for the months ahead. Part of this preparation includes a thorough power washing session.
Among all the tools in our outdoor arsenal – the leaf blower, the lawnmower, and more – the power washer stands out as my personal favorite. A quirky tidbit about me: I’m much more likely to enjoy an afternoon digging in the dirt than going to a fancy afternoon brunch.
My husband finally learned this about me and it’s what prompted him to gift me with a few pallets of sod for Mother’s Day one year so we could redo our front yard; still one of my all-time favorite gifts! Perhaps my daughter will follow in my footsteps, as she excitedly joined me for this power washing session while the boys played board games inside.
As we went around the exterior of the house, a small black spider in its web caught our eye. Armed with our trusty power washer, we anticipated an easy takedown. We had full confidence in our ability to destroy it.
But, much to our surprise, the spider and its web held firm, even after adjusting our angles and intensifying the pressure. With our frustration growing and to ensure our machine wasn’t malfunctioning, I decided to test out the power washer on the top of my foot. The stinging red mark quickly forming on my skin was evidence enough: the power washer was in perfect working order!
Yes, I am that person who needs firsthand experience to really understand, akin to touching a hot stove just to be doubly sure it’s hot. But this raised an intriguing question: How could a force so strong that left a mark on me not even budge on this delicate-looking spider web in the corner of our window? Allow me to dive into the fascinating world of spider webs.
SPIDER WEBS 101
Within the spider’s abdomen, specialized glands produce silk proteins. On exposure to air, these proteins transform into these resilient silk threads. Various types of silk cater to a spider’s survival – everything from nourishment to protection.
The attributes of a spider’s silk are astonishing:
- Certain spider silks have tensile strengths surpassing that of steel, even displaying a strength stronger than Kevlar, a component in bulletproof vests.
- These silks can stretch up to five times their original size without snapping.
- Spider silks resist many potentially challenging external factors like temperature changes, bacterial growth, and moisture.
No wonder our attempts at a takedown proved to be unsuccessful! However, it was successful in teaching us a lesson about faith.
RESILIENT WEBS
A spider puts itself at great risk without its web. Without its web, a spider is vulnerable. A spider inherently knows the value of its web and so sets out on a mission to build it with the “tools” it has been given. To not access this gift would be to deny the very essence of how the spider was created and designed to both live and thrive.
Neglecting this would mean forgoing the very blueprint that ensures its survival and prosperity. The spider, understanding the paramount importance of its web, utilizes its innate abilities to construct this life-sustaining structure.
Does this not sound like the story of our faith? When we come to believe, we are equipped, not with silk, but with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit provides us with everything we need to live our lives according to His plan for us. Like the spider’s silk, the Holy Spirit is life-giving and essential for our spiritual growth; equipping us to live purposefully and joyfully, offering us peace, protection, guidance and direction.
What a gift bestowed upon us by Christ! Nothing can destroy it! If a spider’s web, with it’s steel-like strength, can resist the formidable force of a power washer, consider the immeasurable power of the Holy Spirit that resides within us!
If a spider’s web, with its steel-like strength, can resist the formidable force of a power washer, consider the immeasurable power of the Holy Spirit that resides within us!”
My prayer is that we come to truly understand the immense power and freedom we have in Christ when we walk in the way in which we are created. It’s the most beautiful and indestructible way to live! May we know His desire to see us walk and live out our faith through the power of the Holy Spirit; living out our mission by creating and spinning webs that He has called us to create for His glory and our good.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10
HOW WE CAN BEGIN TO SPIN FAITH-FILLED WEBS
Accept Christ into Your Heart: First and foremost, to build a faith-filled web, we must have faith in Christ and come to believe in Christ. We acknowledge our wrongs, that we are sinners and seek His forgiveness, thanking him for dying on the cross so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life with him. Maybe today is the day we ask Him to come into our heart.
Daily Renewal: Just as spiders often recreate their webs, renew our commitment to Christ daily through prayer and let our faith permeate every aspect of our lives.
Deepen Your Understanding: Dive deeper into God’s Word. This is one of the best ways we can get to know Him. The more we know, the stronger our web of faith becomes.
Community Support: Engage with a community of believers. Together, we can strengthen each other’s faith and help one another through the challenges of this fallen world.
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