Caught up in Spiders and their webs
I walked down to our boathouse early one morning, coffee in hand, and there they were again—spiders and their webs.
I have never liked spiders. Their webs appear overnight, stretching across doorways and railings, almost invisible until you walk straight into one. There is nothing pleasant about that feeling—the uncertainty of not knowing if the spider is still there, the instinct to brush away every lingering thread.
As I stood there this morning, something unexpected happened. The Lord gently turned my thoughts from spiders to prayer.
Webs are everywhere
This time of year, webs appear everywhere—not only at the lake, but on front porches, in stores, and woven throughout an entire season of celebrations. Halloween has grown larger and larger with each passing year. Decorations arrive earlier, spending increases, and entire communities eagerly anticipate the festivities.
And yet, as I prayed, I felt no call toward criticism or judgment. Instead, I felt a burden to pray.
To pray for families.
To pray for children.
To pray for communities I love.
To pray that all of us—myself included—would be careful about what captures our attention, fills our minds, and shapes our hearts.
Caught up in Something
The truth is, we are all caught up in something.
Culture has its webs. Busyness has its webs. Entertainment, fear, possessions, endless distractions, and the opinions of others can quietly weave threads around us until we hardly notice.
The enemy is subtle. Scripture reminds us that deception rarely announces itself loudly. It often comes softly, blending into the ordinary patterns of life.
But there is another way to be surrounded.
This morning, I found myself praying, “Lord, let me be caught up in Your Word.”
What if we allowed Scripture to weave through our days?
What if God’s truth became the threads that held our thoughts together?
What if His love, grace, wisdom, and mercy formed a covering around our hearts?
Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”
Weaving Scripture into our lives
That is the web I want to live within—not one that entangles, but one that anchors.
Not one that deceives, but one that leads to truth.
Not one spun by the world, but one lovingly woven by the hands of God.
As autumn arrives with all its sights and traditions, perhaps the question is not, “What should we avoid?” but rather, “What are we giving our hearts to?”
May we be people who pray more than we criticize.
Who shine more than we complain.
And may we be so caught up in Christ that others see His light in us.
Lord, weave Your Word through our lives until every thought, every choice, and every step is held securely in Your truth.
That is a web worth living in.
