
September 28, 2023 Even though we have a variety of comfy outdoor seating choices, most times, when I take a tea break, I step outside and simply plunk down on the back step. One morning, as I sat there relaxing, I noticed a white spider in the small pot of pansies I keep on the step. Years ago I had seen a similar spider and had taken its picture but never delved into its story. On this most recent occasion, however, I did some research.
The spider was a Misumena Vatia or in everyday terms, a Flower Crab Spider. Along with its pure white color and narrow pink stripes, the spider has eight eyes allowing it to see in all directions, and long, strong, crab-like legs that allow it to move sideways as well as back and forth.
These spiders don’t spin webs to capture prey, instead, they wait in ambush. When an insect lands on the flower, the spider springs into action, inflicting a paralyzing sting that immobilizes the unsuspecting bug. While males prowl around among the flowers searching for a meal, females prefer take-out. Since the spider in my plant sat motionless, I knew it was a female waiting for a meal to be delivered to her door.
Over the course of the morning I checked on her. The first thing I saw her eat was a house fly. A short time later she devoured a small bee; later she dined on a deer fly. She also killed a horse fly that was nearly twice her size.
Another interesting feature of this spider is their ability to change color. My lady spider preferred the yellow pansies and within a week, she herself had turned yellow! By blending in with her surroundings, looking like part of a harmless petal, she was able to leap on hapless prey, catching them off guard. Woe to the careless insect who landed within her reach!
Like the spider, the devil looks for unsuspecting victims to devour. When we let down our guard, become lazy in our walk with God or wishy-washy in our Christian beliefs, we, too, may fall into the devil’s snare. We need to remain vigilant to his deceptions. We need to be discerning, for at times the enemy of our soul masquerades as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) trying to trick us into turning our eyes away from our Savior.
“Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9; The MSG) - Judyann Grant

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