The Spider Part 1

If you looked out my kitchen window, it would appear that I was decorating for Halloween a bit early. On the outside, (and maybe on the inside a little!), you will find a fairly massive spider web. It's not one of the pretty ones, like Charlotte's. Instead, it seems there is no rhyme or reason to it's creator's design. I've learned a little about spiders since teaching first grade. Not all spiders make the same kind of webs. This one seems to be a tangled web, or a cob web. Either way, they all serve a similar purpose: to trap their prey. 
Back in the summer, I was up late one night waiting on Peyton to get home, and as I walked by the window, I saw a little flashing light. It seemed to flash faster than usual for this particular light- one all too familiar on summer nights. It was the light from a "lightning bug." I went closer to the window, and realized it had been caught in the web. Its flash was like a cry for help, perhaps to its other lightning bug friends; or maybe one of pain, for it had been caught.

It's not a great shot, but you get the idea.

Soon, it's light had gone out, and it's captor had won.

I'm sure I was a sight trying to capture these pictures at midnight. But I knew a blog was in there.

So many times, the "Spider" has set a trap for us. And  whether we meant to or not, we often end up caught. I thought about times when myself or another has been caught in a web that we didn't "mean" to find ourselves in. I'm sure the little lightning bug had wished he'd not ventured off that night.

But then, I thought about the times that we see our friends caught (or maybe ourselves), and we are "flashing," crying out for help for someone to rescue us.

Instead of going out and taking pictures of the one "caught in sin," I could've rescued him. Yes, it may have been too late. The venom may have already been injected and maybe nothing else could've been done. Or maybe it wasn't too late.

Maybe he was screaming out "Help me!" as he flashed his light in the darkness. Instead, I take pictures.

How many times do we see others trapped in sin, or tangled up in a mess and instead of helping them, we gossip about it. They may be fighting for their lives. The may be on their last blink. The light may be fading. 

It wasn't long before that light went out, and the firefly was gone. 

That is the enemy's plan. If he can't have our soul, then he tries to take our light. So, he sets a trap. And so easily, we find ourselves all tangled up in it.

I was at my parents not long after this, and my daddy was preaching that Sunday morning. I asked him about his message, and it was about being a light on a hill. I told him about my illustration. 

He ended up using it in the sermon, but added to it. 

He said, "What if we just killed the spider?"

To be continued.....