Spiders and Good Phobia

I hate spiders. I can handle snakes, rodents, bugs, and even slimy things of every shape and color. They are mere "inconveniences" in my life...and gardening. But when a spider crawls into my peripheral vision or I know the presence of one is close, my entire body goes on red alert and the "flight" reflex is at maximum warp. It wasn't always this extreme, but two things happened as a kid that have stayed with me into adulthood.

First, when I was really young, I saw a large spider crawling up the side of my neighbor's brick house. Inches away from it, I looked at all of the fascinating markings and big red dot on its back and yelled out to my friend Cindy, "Look at this spider! We gotta keep it!" As I went to capture the new friend in my hand, Cindy screamed "NOOOO!" and hit my outstretched arm so hard that I nearly fell on the concrete patio. "Are you crazy?! That's a black widow spider! You'll DIE if you touch it!!!"

So that was a little traumatic. Then the clincher came while watching a nature special on TV one day. A man had been laying on his couch snatching a quick nap before he had to go to work or something. When he woke up, he noticed some kind of "bite" on his stomach that itched and seemed a bit harder than a mosquito bite. Every day the bite grew larger until he finally went to the Dr. (Why I kept watching can only be attributed to a defect in my DNA.) In a split second, the Dr. pulled out a scalpel, lanced the oval mound and baby spiders poured out like a scene from a horror movie. Yep...that did me in..."arachnophobia" for life.

So what's the point? I was reflecting this morning on women's Bible study yesterday and our discussion about sin and repentance. The Lord told Adam and Eve to eat of any tree in the garden freely, but not to eat of the one that would certainly bring death. They did it anyway. The pain of their violating God's one command was sure and immediate. Romans 5:12 speaks of the generations of people that have followed Adam and Eve for 1,000's of years that have seen with their eyes, heard with their ears, and experienced in their lives the reality of the effects of sin. Clearly stated, "Sin against God brings separation, destruction, pain and death with certainty". (1 Cor.15:56a; Jam.1:15)

Back to the beginning of my story...the mere glimpse of a spider or the sense of its presence triggers heart palpitations and an immediate response to run to the next county. It was instilled in me years ago. I want to have that same fear in regards to sin in my life. The fear that grabbing hold of it and getting bitten by it will bring poison into the bloodstream of my relationship with God, my spouse, my children, family and friends. The fear that if not dealt with immediately, it will not stay dormant, but sin is fertile and breeds all kinds of horrible offspring (Gal.5:19-21; Col.3:5; 1 Cor.3:3).

The world and Satan don't want you to be afraid of sin. I actually found a web page that CNN, NBC and ABC news have all mentioned to help a person "overcome the fear of sin." From their own words, "we reprogram your unconscious mind to understand that sin is illogical with negative emotions attached." Ick. Romans 3:10-18 says MUCH about this. As well as Ps 36:1 "The transgression of the wicked says within my heart, There is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes, That his sin will not be found out and be hated."

But...a healthy dose of "sin-ophobia" and hatred of more than just spiders would be a great thing in my own life. Praise the Lord for His healing antidote when I reach out and get bit.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.