As I was cleaning in the kitchen a couple of weeks ago, my oldest daughter rushed in the door announcing a black widow had crawled out from under a chair in which she had been sitting. Lovingly known as our “Happy Place,” a little nook sits outside of our back door, waiting to welcome weary family members. Twinkle lights dangle above a cushioned bench and two pillowed chairs my husband made for me several years ago. This spot has been the host of many conversations between me and my kids and/or husband, has served as my meeting place with the Lord most mornings, and has offered a change of scenery for schoolwork when we have been inside too long.
A wood spider would have drawn no reaction from me. We are quite accustomed to a wide variety of arachnids, mosquitos, flies, ants, wasps, beetles, bees, and many more. However, though we have seen black widows on the rare occasion, they still strike terror in our hearts. At this moment I was regretting all the complaints I had made in prior years about the common nuisances. I longed to ignore this problem, yet I knew my children would be at risk if I did. Jerking the cushions off the wooden chairs and benches, I examined every square inch. Two black widows and their egg sacs were living as comfortably as we had in that once peaceful place. I launched an awkward, yet successful, attack with bug spray and a popsicle stick I found lying on the ground. As I sprayed all surfaces, a baby black widow hurriedly crawled away. He didn’t make it.
This picture offers a glimpse of life in general. Setbacks and inconveniences are a part of everyday while we are on this earth. Yet a time arrives when the nuisances become all-out threats to our very lives and to the lives of those we love. Almost every aspect of our family has been invaded in the past couple years. As the months race by, the physical and spiritual threats have increased in number and intensity. Attempting to control these dangers, I have absolutely exhausted myself. Reading my Bible, praying, and following the Lord have been great comforts and help for me; however, I have continued to try to hold on to some power or influence over my life. After all, if I have a relationship with the Lord and do my best to seek after Him, am I not assured health, wealth, and success in my home and relationships? I know it sounds ridiculous. Multiple verses exist about the difficulties of the Christian life. Yet something in me still holds onto the hope that one day on this earth all will get easier. But what if the opposite is true? What if each year brings a greater threat? Could it be that the Lord is wanting me to become as a little child, simply looking to Him for each day’s supply and following wherever He may lead me? I am learning just how powerless I am. Any good thing in my life is from Him alone and not from anything I have or have not done. Oh, may the Lord bring me to a place of having the faith to trust Him with every detail of my life and with the lives of those I love.
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalm 121
Father, Thank You for keeping and upholding me and my family. You alone sustain me, never sleeping, never failing. Please forgive me for doubting You and relying on my own resources when Your unmatched power is offered. Please direct me to You each time trials and temptations threaten to overwhelm me. Remind me of all the times You have been my great help and strengthen me to fight each battle. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.