There is an old fable about a spider. One day a spider lowered itself from a beam high in the rafters of a barn. As he descended he found a great place to build a web in the corner of the barn that seemed to attract a lot of insects.
His web worked beautifully. It trapped many bugs and the spider ate very well. As time passed he became quite happy with his wonderful web.
One day he saw a single thread that came down from a beam high up in the rafters. Thinking it must be a stray thread, he snipped it. Suddenly his world fell apart. In his success and with the passage of time, he had forgotten the extreme importance of that one single thread upon which his whole world had been formed.
Often, people become successful in life and forget that God is the single thread that holds everything together. When first starting off a person relies heavily on God for guidance, strength, and wisdom. But as time wears on they forget that God is the one who holds all things together. They forget how they relied on God when they first began the venture. Too frequently success breeds amnesia.
The Bible reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:11-13, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have – Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials – gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.”
If you began a venture in life with God at your side, have you remembered him along the way? Have you thanked him for his guidance and blessing? Have you kept him at the heart of all you are doing?
The spider’s world collapsed when he cut the single thread that held his successful web together. Remember your connection to God and keep it strong.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: As Christians, keep building on the foundation laid by Christ