"Oh my dear Octoped, can we afford to rebuild? I don't think we can afford Human Broom Insurance- not with a deductible we can manage...." She began to sob, great Black Widow tears.
"We must rebuild, Mabelmanylegs. What choice do we have? It's not like we are going to catch flies with our charm and good looks. Remember dear," Octoped said, stretching his arms across her shoulders, "Adversity is oftentimes the spark to great achievement."
"Tell that to Mrs. O'Leary's cow," said Mabelmanylegs.
"As a matter of fact, on this very day, in 1871 that cow started the great Chicago fire."
"I know that," snapped Mabelmanylegs, "I'm webless, not stupid."
"Well then you should also know that in the end, Chicago exonerated the cow. Of course not til the cow was long dead, but even Chicago recognized that the cow may have been the biggest blessing Chicago ever had."
"I don't follow," said the Black Widow, dabbing at her eyes, which took quite a while given she had eight of them.
"Well, it is true that the fire started by that careless cow did kill around 250 people, destroyed 17,450 buildings, and left 100,000 homeless, causing an estimated $200 million (in 1871 dollars; $3 billion in 2007 dollars) in damages. But as a result, it spurred tremendous economic activity as Chicago rebuilt, bigger and better than ever. It can be argued that the fire caused by Mrs. O'Leary's cow was responsible for Chicago becoming a world class city."
Mabelmanylegs glanced inside the house to which her ruined web was attached. She saw the writer sitting at the computer, typing her daily blog.
"I don't get it," she said to Octoped, "I thought this daily blog that human writes is supposed to be about messages from God.Why is she writing about spider webs, and the Great Chicago Fire?"
"You try writing every single day for two years... let's see if you can come up with fresh and interesting themes day after day. But besides that, don't you get it?"
"No."
"She is reminding us, just like Jesus warned, that in this world we will have troubles. But we are not supposed to despair, because in the end, God wins. Jesus has overcome the world. Like Mrs. O'Leary's cow, we will be exonerated. And disaster can be turned into crowning achievement."
"Do we have to wait til we are dead too?"
"Well maybe. But the blessing of His comfort is here now, today, and we can grab hold of it the moment we trust Him and believe that He is who He claims to be."
"Will He rebuild our web?"
"Mabelmanylegs, He doesn't have to. We can do that. He can rebuild your broken heart, though, and He can give you hope and purpose even beyond spinning beautiful webs."
Mabelmanylegs peered in again as the keyboard of the writer clacked away.
"I still think she is stretching here."
"Well," said Octoped, "I think her heart was too full of gratitude to just say outright her husband got a job offer yesterday."
"Well, bully for him," sighed Mabelmanylegs, "Come on, lazylegs, get spinning if you want breakfast."
This is the best blog I have read - ever! Thanks for sharing God's specific blessings! May God bless Arvo in his new position and your family as you rebuild. I have learned that it is easy to forget where you have been when the rebuilding feels complete. Never forget!
ReplyDeleteoh my- that means so much coming from you. And i know you understand how hard those months of waiting can be....much love and gratitude!
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