Webs We Weave

This massive spider was hanging out in the open but not far from its dark hiding place. Sharon's eagle eye spotted this creature as we walked along Porter's Creek Trail in the Smokies while I focused on waterfalls and wildflowers. I almost wish she had not seen it because now you have to.

Spiders make me think of a lot of things (usually involving poison, flames, hammers, etc.) but also of the webs WE weave. Walter Scott penned the phrase "O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!"

Wonderopolis.org reports that unlike unsuspecting prey, spiders don't come into contact with their webs all at once. Instead, they move nimbly along the strands of their webs with only the hairs on the tips of their legs making contact with the sticky threads. This minimizes the chances that they'll get caught in their own trap! To avoid sticky situations, spiders also groom themselves very carefully. Spiders routinely clean their legs of all pieces of silk and other debris that might cause them to get stuck on their webs.

So, while it may not be uncommon for a spider to get trapped in its own web, humans often get caught up and tangled in a deceitful web of lies. In fact, we often begin to believe our own deception.

1 Corinthians 3:18
Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise.

Galatians 6:3
If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.

1 John 1:8
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

So, rather than telling ourselves that we are better than we are, let us look in the mirror and reflect on the truth of God that clearly tells us that we are sinners in need of a loving Savior. Don't let the world and your own prideful nature separate you from the Lord God who desires to free you from the entrapment in which you may find yourself. You can tip-toe around the truth for a short while but it will catch up with you as the Bible says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." ~Galatians 6:7