There Came a Great Spider, Who Sat Down Beside Her...

Who remembers this nursery rhyme….“Little Miss Muffet, she sat on a tuffet; Eating her curds and whey; There came a great spider, who sat down beside her, and frightened Miss Muffet away.” ? I do so wish that I had, like Miss Muffet, SEEN the spider who sat down beside me and had been frightened away! HOWEVER, I did not see him and evidently I sat on him and got two bites on the back of both thighs! Grrrrrr!

It happened on a Thursday night. I did not see a spider but did see the saucer sized rash/whelps that appeared several hours after I felt just a little burning sensation on my legs. Thinking it was just some kind of reaction to using a different laundry detergent, I tried putting anti-itch medicine on my legs over the weekend but was miserable. The rash was red and raw and "weeping"...and spreading! I could not stand to sit for very long at a time so had to miss Sunday night church services.

First thing on Monday morning I called my doctor’s office to see if they could work me in. Yes! Be there at 10:15 ! When my doctor came in and asked what my problem was I began to tell her I thought I must have had an allergic reaction to the detergent. Then she looked at my legs and said with a gasp…”Oh honey! Those are spider bites!!!” I was in shock! That had not even entered my mind! She started naming off all the things she wanted to give me…..antibiotics by mouth, antibiotic ointment, steroid crème, Benadryl, and a Tetanus shot!

Well, it was a pretty uncomfortable week but God has been good and I’m almost healed up I think. I still have two very large pink blotchs that itch some on both legs but it’s SO much better than it was last week that I can’t complain!

Several people told me they were surprised that I got bitten by a spider IN MY HOME ! Well, I have 2 explanations. 1)I guess I'm not getting rid of spider webs in all the corners like some of my friends must do. And 2) spiders can be ANYWHERE, as documented in Proverbs 30:28 which says, "The spider taketh hold with her hands, and IS IN kings' palaces." So I guess it happens to the best of us sometimes. lol

As I said, in contrast to Little Miss Muffet, I never saw the spider but I did see the results of the spider being there! Sometimes we’re like Miss Muffet….sin is blatant and easy to see and we are frightened by it and so steer clear of it and the harm it will bring. But sometimes we’re like I was and don’t see the danger that is right in the chair with us! Sin may sneak up on us and we are bitten and suffering the consequences before we know what happened!

I guarantee you that I have been very diligent in trying to get down every spider’s web I have seen in the past week and a half. I have taken pictures down and dusted behind them. I have pulled out furniture and dusted and mopped. I scan the shower before I get in. I LOOK before I sit down. I’m counting on that old saying of Ben Franklin’s… “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

And so it is with sin. We should always be on the lookout for it. Sometimes it’s out in the open. But all too often it hides in corners. In dark places. Or in places where you least expect it. Don’t let it sneak up on you!

Many thanks to all of you who have been praying for me! May God bless you and I hope that every one who is reading this has a wonderful Thanksgiving !

Marilyn