The Spider Web… Hello weekend readers. My musings are not so much about a spider but what happens when we get caught in a spider’s web. This last week we had a young person who found herself in this dilemma. It reminded me of the old story from Aesop’s fables. You may remember it.

There was a spider that built a beautiful web in an old house. She kept it clean and shiny so that flies would patronize it and they did 24/7! She would swoop in and eat and then clean it up so the other flies would not get suspicious. Smart spider! However, one big fly buzzed in and she beckoned him in to come and sit. The fly thought about it and told her that he didn’t see any other flies so he wasn’t going to come alone. Just then he saw the huge crowd of flies dancing around on a piece of paper and he smiles and said “wow, OK I’ll come in.” One fly yelled at him to not come in but the big fly was determined to have his dinner so he told the fly that it was silly, look at all these flies, they can’t be wrong! Here I come!” And he never left and he never had his dinner because the paper was fly-paper.

Our young person at the campground was just like that fly. Her friends goaded her to dive into the Rio Chama river (we impound it for Abiquiu Lake and it is a very destructive river) telling her “don’t be a sissy.” So she dove in at the worst place, Big Eddy. If you don’t know what an ‘eddy’ is in water, it’s kind of like the fly-paper—it sucks you in and then down. Many die there despite the huge warning sign saying DON’T DIVE HERE. Thankfully, a couple had pulled into the parking lot and rescued her—putting themselves in danger as well.

Peer pressure is one of the most powerful influencers of our behavior. In fact, studies on peer pressure started in the early 1700’s. In 1873 Oxford University did a psychological study showing that a subject would continue administering what they believed were painful shocks (they weren’t) to a person in another room if a team of “experts” told him it was necessary. For years folks bought into this scam and never realized they were like the big fly!

In Galatians 1:10 [Message], the Apostle Paul said: “Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or court favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave!”

Peer pressure is powerful and we have all encountered it and then find ourselves in painful consequences. And no matter how much life experience we might have behind us, we’re never immune to it. It’s a potent force whether you’re 8 or 100! The Apostle Paul encountered that in his time—Jesus encountered it when the devil tempted him in the desert. So what do we do when we listen to the wrong people? Again in Galatians 1:11-12 [Message],  “Know this—I am most emphatic here my friends, this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God—received the Message directly from Jesus Christ.”

Paul is telling us that just because something is popular doesn’t make it right. Like the spider, we listen to her words, sweet and beckoning and there we go, onto the fly paper. What should we do? Instead of asking if something is popular, ask first if it is right. Don’t let others pressure you into doing the wrong things. Seek God’s will first no matter what others say! And remember, you have the strength to say “no” because that strength is from God. Stand firm with your convictions even when it seems so many others are doing the opposite. Jesus never asked us to “follow the crowds” —He asked us to follow Him! AMEN.