Spider Webs

The other morning I was unloading the dishwasher- a pretty common occurence in our house of seven. I usually don't mind this task, but on that morning it seemed to put me in a bad mood. It wasn't the task itself that set me off, but what it represented- the beginning of another long day of "have-to-do's." I'm sure you've been there too- in the middle of the urgent rather than in the middle of something you actually chose to do. So as I was shaking the water off the glasses and wiping the drips off the floor (isn't a dishwasher supposed to save me from cleaning?), I was reminded of the spider experiment that Griffin had done the previous day. In an effort to observe and learn about cold-blooded animals, we caught a spider and observed it in a plastic cup(with a lid, of course!) Yes, it was indeed busily trying to escape and get back to its regular activities. After observing it for a minute, we put the container into the refrigerator. After a while we pulled it out again to observe. I knew it was going to be moving slowly. Then I could put it back outside and continue on with my long list of "what to get done while Annie is napping" and "how to cram all this stuff in before I leave for class." Griffin and I looked at the spider. Yep, slow going. Now let's hurry this up! But as we were pulling the foil off the top, we noticed that there was the beginning of a web! That spider just kept on doing what he was made to do and a few unwanted minutes in the fridge were not going to interrupt his work.

As I was pondering this at the dishwasher, I realized that I, too, just needed to keep on doing what I was created to do. Some days I'm not sure what all that entails, but I do know that I was created to be joyful and give thanks whether or not I like the task at hand. I can choose to live by His grace and for His glory. God may put me in the fridge and cover me with foil, but I can still spin the webs of love and grace in the family I am blessed to be a part of. So tomorrow when I get up (4 hours from now) and start the chore list, I'll remember the lesson of the spider. Now if I only had eight arms to do it all....