"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I
make up MY JEWELS.”
(Malachi 3:17)
To my dear grandchildren
Jumping Spiders
“All that forget God . . . their hope shall be cut off,
and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.”
(Job 8:13-14)
Let’s look at spiders that are specifically called jumping spiders. There are some 4,000 varieties of these. They are all small, less than 3/4 inch, and are the most colourful of all spiders. If you should see one, look at it through a magnifying glass and see the beautiful colours of these pretty little creatures. While frequently found in parts of North America and Europe, the greatest number prefer warm climates, such as Central America, northern South America, New Zealand and Australia. Many of you have probably seen these little spiders on your windowsills or screens in the summer. The hair on their legs helps them walk across very smooth surfaces like glass more easily.
They are provided with unusual eyes — some of them having as many as eight, so that they can see motion in just about every direction all at the same time. They can also spot birds or enemies that might be a threat to them.
In contrast to the vast number of other spiders, jumping spiders do not weave webs and then wait for insect to get caught in them. Instead, they creep up on their prey or lie in wait and pounce on it. Although their legs are short, they can jump more than 50 times the length of their bodies.
Finding a good spot on big a bare rock or bare limb of a tree, a jumper first anchors a silk thread (called dragline) so it can climb back up in case it misses its prey. It seldom has to wait very long before spotting a fly, mosquito or other insect perhaps a distance of 4 to 8 inches away.
How can it get to that insect that is suddenly visible? Most of the jumping power is supplied by the fourth pair of legs, and the dragline stretches out to match the jump being made. Having feasted on its catch, the spider may explore a bit for more food and then it follows the dragline all the way back to its starting point where the line is discarded.
Incidentally, in spite of the trailing dragline, these jumps are so fast and silent that an intended victim seldom gets away. The spider injects a wee bit of poison, then devours its catch and looks around for other potential victims before climbing back up its dragline.
Read again the Bible verse at the top of the page. How foolish it is for anyone to just try to forget about God and take up with the temporary pleasures of this world. This verse tells us it will trap them like a spider’s web. Another verse tells us: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6).
Which verse applies to you?
Love you all - Grandpa
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