This post was written by Kim Edmondson. Kim and her husband planted a church in Clarksville, Tennessee in September, 2007.
A friendly neighborhood spider has moved into the doorway that leads to my back deck. I’m not sure why but, I have decided that the spider is a “she” (blame it on Charlotte’s Web). As far as spiders go, I guess you’d call her a beauty.
However, I have encountered a problem with our newest resident. The web. The webs she creates are beautiful. When the morning dew hangs on to the silken threads and the sunlight hits them, the web shimmers like a string of diamonds. The trouble begins when I get ready to go out the back door; I always forget that the web is there. I end up with a sticky mess all over my face and in my hair (oh no, not the hair!). I stand in the doorway, trying to keep my cool in front of my children, rubbing my hands over my face and through my hair, and all the while I am thinking, “Please don’t let the spider be crawling on me!“
A few days ago after just such a web collision had taken place, I thought “Since I have destroyed the web so many times now, maybe the ‘ole girl (okay, the spider) will just move on. Seems to me that it would be kind of frustrating to her to have to keep rebuilding her home every time my head tears it apart. However, the next morning when I came downstairs, there it was—the web—gleaming in the morning light. I stood there in amazement. I started to think about what a persistent lady spider it is that now makes her home in my doorway. No matter how many times I have walked through her home, she keeps coming back. She always rebuilds. Obviously she is very taken with the location and wants to stay there. She is a hard worker. She is determined. She has perseverance.
In the Bible, we see Paul who had lived his life for Christ, and it had not been an easy journey. He suffered greatly for choosing to believe in Jesus and living his life to tell others about Him. Through it all, Paul persevered. He kept on building his faith no matter how many times he was knocked down.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul said:
“…run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11, NLT).
Pursue means to strive for, carry out, to persevere. So, Paul is telling Timothy, strive for a Godly life. Carry out your faith and your calling. Persevere in love for others and even persevere in your perseverance. Now that is dedication.
What about me? In my marriage, with my children, in my ministry as a church planter’s wife, do I persevere and trust God to accomplish His purpose in what He has called me to? What about my relationship with the Lord? Do I persevere in knowing and loving Him even when I am knocked down by the circumstances of life?
Like Paul, I need to keep on pursuing the life that Christ has called me to. Like the spider, I must persevere in building and rebuilding what life and sometimes ministry, seeks to destroy. It’s not easy, but it certainly is worth it.
I’ve determined that the next time I head out the back door of my house, I’m not going to forget my spider friend. However, I know that if I do forget, and once again destroy her home, when I come back around she’ll be there, rebuilding what I have destroyed and serving as a reminder to me that I should persevere, just like her.
