My metaphor for life has been staring me in the face for at least three weeks now. Each time I look at it, I am filled with awe for the daily but seemingly insignificant reminders God throws our way.
For almost a month, we’ve been experiencing some strong winds and heavy rains. It’s definitely a sight to see. In the forest, heavy winds bring about breath-taking leaf storms. Leaves of all shapes, sizes, and colors twirl about in a frenzied whirlwind often accompanied by heavy rains. One day as I was admiring the outburst of color, I noticed the thin line of a spider web extending from one side of our living room window to another. On one end was what looked like a hopefully dead insect daintily hanging over the edge.
In this new house I have seen various types of insects and so spider webs were of no novel interest to me. But the spider web on the window was a real-time example of what strength really was. It has always been my impression that strength meant being a hardcore, no-nonsense sort of person. These were people who said “no” firmly and were hard-wired to drop-kick trouble with killer timing. I often longed to be one of those people.
This spider web, though, was comprised of very tenuous, silken threads. Nothing menacing or iron-clad. Yet, it withstood the heavy winds that shook thousands of acorns off our trees and left tree limbs strewn akimbo, with very little deliberation. The web moved to and fro with the violent winds but remained on the window with what could only be describe as a quiet grace. It struck through nearly a month of fierce winds and rain with an unassuming dignity, a birth right not all of us claim.
All this was accomplished without any fanfare, violence, or even tears. There is much to be said about courage and strength if this is the standard by which God created one of the lowliest of his creatures. What did I learn? I have understood that all we really need is a thin if almost invisible thread attached to a higher, benevolent good to survive most things. This invisible thread can be physically severed and perhaps that is the beauty of it all. Even those with the most meager of inner resources and running on fumes, can and will survive. Nothing extraordinary had to be done, nothing outside their very nature. Survival depended on just being.
