“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” ~1 Corinthians 16:13-4

I just withstood one of the greatest challenges I have faced recently. No it was not the New York Marathon, or the 2am trail race, or parenting rambunctious boys. It was while I was showering.

As I lathered up, I looked up and noticed a complex spider web running across the top of the shower.^ Immediately, I had flashbacks to the horrors of Arachnophobia. But my hair was soapy and I had to stay in that cage, stuck behind the glass walls as I desperately searched for the web-designer.

When we are tested, it shows us where we stand.

For me, I was reminded that a movie I watched at age 8 still causes my skin to crawl at the sight of a spider.

In the letter to the Corinthians, Paul is addressing misbehavior by the early church and telling them how their sexual ethics, lawsuits, economic disparity, disorderly worship and other unmentionable offenses were becoming betrayals to the Gospel.

He concludes the letter with the above charge to be on guard. Even if the world is shifting under your feet, Paul calls us to stand firm on our faith. Then once our footing is secure we can be men of courage demonstrating strength.

Like withstanding the threat of the deadly shower spider.

How are you being tested this week?

How might you embrace the opportunity to stand firm and be strong?

Footnotes:

^this encounter happened in a mountain house and not at my homestead to absolve any concerns about the cleanliness of our home.