The Fax of Life

A weekly inspiration, courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Scott's Valley

January 11,  2010                                                                       Volume 15, Number 11

God and the Spider

During World War II, a US  marine was separated from his unit on a Pacificisland. The fighting had been  intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his  comrades.

Alone in the jungle, he  could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he  found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he  crawled inside one of the caves.

Although safe for the moment, he realized that  once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly  search all the caves and he would be killed. As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if  it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and  trust you. Amen."

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close.

He thought, "Well, I guess  the Lord isn't going to help me out of this

one."

Then he saw a spider begin to  build a web over the front of his cave.

As he watched, listening to  the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.

"Hah, he thought. "What I need is  a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a  sense of humor."

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his  hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to  his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that  with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered  for quite a while.

"Lord, forgive me," prayed  the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a

spider's web is stronger than a  brick wall."

We all face times of great  trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget

what God can work in our lives,  sometimes in the most surprising ways. And remember with God, a mere spider's  web becomes a brick wall of protection.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. All of its Clubs are independently-run community service groups.

• The Kiwanis Club of Scott's Valley normally meets at the Heavenly Café in Scott's Valley, CA, on Wednesdays at 7 am - see the Scott's Valley Kiwanis website @ http://svkiwanis.org for details; The Kiwanis Club of Rosemead normally meets on Thursdays at 12:10 in Rosemead, CA - see the Rosemead Kiwanis website @ http://rosemeadkiwanis.org for confirmation and directions. Visitors are welcome to join meetings of either club anytime.

• There is no charge to anyone for receiving the "Fax," which today is circulated by e-mail rather than literally by FAX. If you have been encouraged in any way by the message, pass it on by saying something encouraging to someone else during the week. To subscribe to the free weekly RKC Reporter, of which the "Fax" is an attachment, simply email kcrosemead@aol.com,

• Neither the Scott's Valley or Rosemead Kiwanis Clubs make any representations as to the accuracy of quotes or actions attributed to named individuals; material selected for the Fax of Life comes from a variety of sources and is chosen based solely on its presumed inspirational value to readers.