As my kids packed their backpacks for school, I snatched a glance out my dining room window. The sunlight was just peeking over the treetops across the street, perfectly spotlighting a three-foot wide spider web that was reaching from a tree branch to its neighboring bush.⠀ ⠀ Normally, spiders make me cringe.⠀ ⠀ But on this morning, as the light shone on that web, I saw more. The sunbeams illuminated this spider’s attempt at grocery shopping, showcasing delicate detail and intricate symmetry that had been spun in the shadows. I could see the undeniable beauty in this spider’s simple “must” for that day.⠀ ⠀ It is no secret among those who know me best that I tend to procrastinate with my must’s — the dishes, laundry, grocery shopping. I try to peptalk myself into doing these things for God, for my family, embracing Colossians 3:23, “whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord…” But the truth is, when I’m just convincing myself to find the beauty in what I’m doing, I’m missing something. ⠀ ⠀ As I stared out my window that day, God showed me that I wasn’t actually drawn to the web. Rather, I was drawn to the sun’s rays reflecting off the strands. ⠀ ⠀ The spiderweb was beautiful because of the presence of the light. ⠀ ⠀ I can apply this same understanding to my own mundane tasks — I can just spin through my list, or I can step back and see the beauty of His presence in them. I can do these things for the Lord or, even better, I can do these things with Him.
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