There it was. Not making a move. A spider had found its way to the back of Tim’s suit coat as we were singing at a church in West Virginia! It was nearing the end of the service and Rebecca and I had taken a seat while Tim spoke to the congregation. Rebecca, very distracted, was about three seconds shy of panic. I kept my cool while thinking, “Oh, that little ole spider won’t hurt him, and if it does, it won’t hurt for long.” But to ease Rebecca’s mind, I reassured her in a quiet whisper that I would take care of it.
I wanted to be as discreet as possible, so I waited until Tim began to close in prayer. You’ll be happy to know that I snuck over and swatted that spider right off of Tim’s coat. I also might add that as soon as he said “Amen” I looked over and there that thing was still hanging on! Unfortunately, the spider must have been there just a little too long because he had already spun a web, anchoring himself firmly to the coat. I jumped to Tim’s rescue and began to slap at the back of his suit coat repeatedly before finally saving him from the vermin!
Many spiders are harmless actually serving a good purpose, but then again, some can be fatal. How do we know whether we should swat or leave it alone? I was bitten by a spider when I was young and had to stay in bed for days while we watched the poison slowly spread over most of my leg. This is an easy choice for me - “kill ‘em all!” I’m sure I won’t affect the spider population to the point of damaging the ecosystem!
Little things creep into our lives that can possibly harm us or at the very least, distract us; things that don’t belong in our lives, like the bad timing of a good spider at a Gospel singing. Sin can creep in and harm us – even destroy us; on the other hand there are little things that can just distract us from our walk with Him.
I have had my share of “little spiders” to swat out of my life. Some I took care of right away. Others I let stay too long and they got attached to me. Sin isn’t something to tiptoe around in our own lives. We need to confront temptation kicking and screaming! We are to flee from the appearance of evil, not daintily sidestep it while trying not to disturb the devil!
On the other hand, some things in our lives maybe serve a good purpose, like even a ministry. But even ministry can become a breeding ground for distraction. I know some people who have run themselves into tremendous debt, even bankruptcy for the sake of ministry. But I find it hard to believe that our Father who owns the cattle on a thousand hills would place the burden of ministry debt on our backs if our business choices were truly in His will. I’m not saying we can’t finance our ministry in different ways like bus payments and such, but you know whether or not you can pay those bills. I’m not saying you can’t step out on faith either. Our family knows too well how God can provide when it doesn’t make sense on paper; as long as it is in His perfect will. But there is nothing more distracting or destructive in our lives or ministry than the unnecessary stress we place on ourselves with bad choices - whether it financial, relational, spiritual neglect, or any number of things. I can say this to you in love, because I know. I’ve been there.
As we continue to grow in our walk with God and in the Word of God, let’s keep our eyes open. You may have a little swatting to do yourself!
till next time…
Sally
Tune in to The Gospel Greats the weekend of November 3rd to hear The Quicks on the Artist Spotlight. We are so excited! Actually, Paul Heil should really have taped our conversation before he turned on the mics when Sheila was still in the room! That was the REAL interview!
To contact The Quicks:
Phone: 615-459-5119 / 615-403-0047
Write: The Quicks / P.O. Box 581 / Smyrna, TN 37167
E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Author: AGM
| Author's Website: http://absolutelygospel.com/
Written: 11/01/2007
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Category: The Quicks
Comments: 2
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I agree...kill 'em all, and I'm convinced pointed-toed shoes were invented by someone with a spider infestation...they're great for corners. Terrific article! Janice
Once there was a spider small
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