Saving Spiders

I like spiders. Not in a “I want a tarantula as a pet” kind of way. But in a “I see the value of spiders and they are astounding little creatures that don’t freak me out” kind of way. We’ve raised our kids with this sentiment, so in our house when we encounter a spider, the goal is to successfully relocate the little arachnid to some more suitable outdoor location. Not everyone feels or responds this way to spiders. So…when I was walking down a hallway in our church and saw (for the fourth time) a rather large “giant house spider” just resting there, I decided I had to remove the creature before someone else swatted the poor thing.

I went and got a plastic cup and a piece of paper to catch the spider and release it outdoors in the flower garden. Wouldn’t you know it? When I went to trap the spider, it tried to run away. From the creature’s perspective the large and imposing object presented a threat to its safety. From my perspective, I was providing this spider with a chance to avoid being smashed.

 I wonder if the spider’s response doesn’t reflect the way we understand God sometimes. We have a limited perspective, often clouded by our fears and frustrations. We don’t necessarily understand what God is trying to accomplish and even try desperately (at least at times) to find a way out from “under it.” Yet the prophet Isaiah records that God’s ways are not ours and His thoughts are above ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Sometimes I think our struggle with God’s work in our lives is simply a matter of misunderstanding goals. God seems more interested in shaping our character, our inner world, than in getting us to remake the outside world. The “outside” world will get remade, count on it. But that is a creative act of God ultimately, right? Right, see Isaiah 65:17, among other verses. The point is, though, that we are often more interested in fixing circumstance as we see it than receiving whatever gift of transformation God is offering in the moment. He sees the end, we don’t. He sees the impact of the change, on us, on others, on His Kingdom purposes. We don’t, at least not always.

Trust – so central to our walk as Christians – is, at least in part, resting in the reality that God’s perspective is true and good and right, while ours is only partial (at its best). Maybe this is part of what was behind the sons of Korah’s prophetic word, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10).

The spider didn’t know it could trust me to be doing good on its behalf, but we can trust God is doing good on ours.

Pursue Christ – He is enough,

Pastor Jeff

Tractors, The Great Connector?

Did you know that Porsche made a tractor? I didn’t. Truthfully, I never thought about it. That is, until a guy in Germany posted a picture of one on a website dedicated to Star Wars collecting. Yes, you read that right, the site is not dedicated to tractors in any way, but this acquaintance from Germany happened on a tractor show while biking home from work and thought it would be fun to post the 1963 Porsche tractor picture. I’m not a tractor aficionado (though my dad was), but it was interesting to see.

One week later, while visiting family in Boise, we went to the West Idaho State Fair and, wouldn’t you know it, they had a small tractor show. So, thinking of my friend in Germany, I took some pictures and posted them too. It led to a fun little exchange that was far off the topic of Star Wars and actually more personal.

What has struck me in the days since is that when we have a heart that is open and a mind that is alert, we can find places of common ground. And…places much more significant than tractors. If we take our theology seriously we understand that every human being is made in the image of God (though that image is marred and masked by the Fall). We share in common dreams and hopes and fears and limits, even if we approach them very differently. I believe deeply, though I continue to work this belief out with varying degrees of success, that if we are willing to listen carefully to others, no matter how different from us they are, we can find a point of common ground and treat them with dignity. I think this is what Jesus modeled for us and, in this moment, it is precisely the counter-cultural pattern we should be demonstrating to others.

Listening well and finding common ground may not be the catalyst for a transformation in American culture, but it just might give opportunity to share our faith gracefully, to show love meaningfully, and to push back the shadows of fear and suspicion.

I don’t know, but maybe, just maybe, God will use the tractors to open the door to a deeper conversations about life, hope and faith.

Pursue Christ – He is enough,

            Pastor Jeff

PS – If your interested, from the Porsche website:

“Porsche is heading even further off road with the all-electric Mission E Tractor…With a power output in excess of 700hp, the Mission E Tractor will be the fastest accelerating agricultural vehicle in the world…” They just can’t help themselves, can they?