11 Jul, 2008
Small but nasty!
Woman loses 10 lbs of flesh after spider bite
A hobo is small, non-aggressive spider that seldom bites. But when one does, the bite can cause huge problems -- such as losing 10 pounds of flesh and skin.
That's what happened to Hermiston, Ore., resident Cindy Pettey. A couple of years ago Pettey woke up after being bitten on the stomach in the middle of the night. No problem, she thought, until she came down with a fever, felt weak and ached all over and the bite sore grew larger.
Now, Pettey has recoverd from surgery that left her stomach covered with stitches and took away 10 pounds of flesh and skin.
"It looks like I was bit in half by a shark," said Pettey.
Rob Hendrickson, a physician and director of the Oregon Poison Control Center, said the hobo bites only when cornered. For example, when someone puts on a shoe with a spider inside.
Hobo spider venom may cause necrosis, or death of the skin. When a spider injects venom below the skin, it reddens, swells, then turns black. But there is some doubt in the medical community about whether venom causes the skin death, Hendrickson said.
Pettey isn't taking any more chances. "I put hobo spider traps all over my house," she said.
photo courtesy images.google.com & story xinhaunet.com, 12/12/06
Isaiah 59:1-5
Evil and Oppression
59:1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
2 but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies;
your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 No one enters suit justly;
no one goes to law honestly;
they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies,
they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
5 They hatch adders' eggs;
they weave the spider's web;
he who eats their eggs dies,
and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. (ESV)
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about the power of sin, even the little ones?
This whole passage is a warning from God through His prophet Isaiah.
Since God is holy, He can not put up with sin, no matter how small it might seem to us. Our sin cuts us off from the relationship that God desires for us to have with Him.
Sin, even if it is tiny from our perspective, is like a powerful poison of a spider bite. It's small, but nasty! One little sin can grow keep growing into many sins that damage our intimacy with God.
That's why Isaiah's long list of sins (not all are included) in verses 1-14 make the holy God angry and force Him to turn away.
But God is so loving that if we are His children (followers of Jesus), and confess our sins, He will forgive us completely and restore our relationship.
The sobering reality is that unless people receive God's forgiveness through Christ's death and resurrection, they remain separated from God for eternity. BUT! Saying yes to God's gift of forgiveness (the most amazing part of His Story) means that a person can be in relationship with God in this earthly life and forever!
Is this part of your story?
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Talk to God right now about the sins that His Holy Spirit points out in your life...yes, even those little ones...apply 1st John 1:9 and receive God's loving forgiveness....If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- If you have a journal, (start one if you don't have one) for one month, write down those "small but nasty" little sins that Satan uses to catch you in his web. Remember that if you are abiding (staying connected ) in Jesus, He will empower you to "take every thought captive".
- Whenever you see a spider's web, let it remind you to let Jesus guard you from those little sins that "bite".
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?
The next time you see a spider when you're with someone in your storysphere, use it as a conversation starter about today's "hobo spider bite" story. Remember to use it as a way to talk about your own struggles and not judge your friend or family member for their struggles. This will allow you to learn more of their story and share more of yours and God's story.
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