Coco Calling No.264 - The Hairy Horror Show

There’s an old parrot saying which states: “The only thing you ever have to fear in life is fear itself….and spiders!” And despite being a bird of immense courage, I have to admit that I really don’t like them. This is the time of year when they seem to appear from nowhere and start to scurry around the walls and ceilings of our house. It’s a bit like ‘The Hairy Horror Show.’ And I don’t think I’m being unkind here. After all, -would you like me as much if I had eight hairy legs, eight goggley eyes, blue blood, and went by the name of “Black Widow”?

But then I have to remember that we’re all part of the same creation. I may be more beautiful and intelligent than any spider, but we’ve all been crafted by the same loving hands. And many Christians and non-Christians believe that we all share the right to exist…

“Not a single creature on earth has more or less right to be here.” (Anthony Douglas Williams: [1974-present]: Canadian author; taken from his book “Inside the Divine Pattern”).

So, very begrudgingly, I have to admit that unless you happen to be a fly, or some small bird in the vicinity of a twelve-inch Goliath Bird-Eater, then there are certain things about spiders which we should all admire. Just think of the delicate beauty of a spider’s silky web, adorned with dew drops, as it receives the first caress of the early morning sun. A spider’s web brings a touch of poetry and magic to our world, and yet it’s stronger than so many of the strongest things that humans seek to make.…

“Pound for pound, spider silk is stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar.” (‘New York Times’: Nov.4 2020: Article by Katherine J. Wu)

So it’s not surprising that over the centuries, humans have used both spiders and their webs as a source of inspiration. Even those living in places where God and Christianity were something alien and new….

“Man did not weave the web of life. He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

(Chief Seattle: [c.1786-1866]: Suquamish & Duwamish Chief who encouraged his people to live alongside white settlers, and after whom the city of Seattle was named).

(I may be just a simple parrot, but it’s a shame that Chief Seattle isn’t still around to spearhead the discussions on climate change!)

So, I don’t think I’ll complain anymore when I spy a spider in the room. I’ll simply let it be, knowing that we all have a place in God’s creation, and that we are all testimony to His astonishing power and presence.

“God dwells in His creation and is everywhere indivisibly present in all His works.” (A.W. Tozer: [1897-1963]: American Christian pastor and author)

“She asks me to kill the spider. Instead, I get the most peaceful weapons I can find. I take a cup and a napkin. I catch the spider, put it outside and allow it to walk away. If I am ever caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, just being alive and not bothering anyone, I hope I am greeted with the same kind of mercy.”

(Rudy Francisco: [1982-present]: American spoken-word poet)

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities -His eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what He has made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)