Faith: Everything has a purpose, even jumping spiders

At Head Acres, if I sit on the stoop long enough, all sorts of critters will make their way past my hangout spot.

I’ve seen foxes, families of deer, badgers (not as friendly as they are cute), a variety of different snakes, skunks, birds. Most times, I’m fine with whatever strolls by; I appreciate the visits.

Then, there are the other times.

While working outdoors, tending animals and doing some general clean up, I had an encounter of the spider kind. It’s bad enough to come upon a gaggle of spiders; it’s so much worse when they launch themselves at your face.

Cue dramatic music.

Turns out I’d disturbed a party of jumpers, aka. phidippus audax (thanks internet!), aka. bold jumper, aka. jumpers. Jumping spiders … because the spiders that just walk around on the ground aren’t enough to handle.

I give a healthy distance to spiders. I’ve grown to appreciate the wolf spiders (from a distance). I can handle the garden spiders (from a distance), and even the orb spiders no longer completely creep me out. And if you want a little excitement, go out after dark and shine a flashlight around your yard; those little floating, glowing orbs are spider eyes, which all in all is pretty fascinating.

But these, the jumping-at-your-face spiders, they’ll take some getting used to on my part.

There is a definite life cycle in the garden. The phids, as they’re called by spider lovers, also make great pets (says the internet). While that won’t happen here anytime soon, the jumpers do eat nuisance pests like houseflies.

Everything has a purpose, even jumping spiders.

It is a simple yet profound reminder. And once I got over the surprise of the spiders in my face, I appreciated the message. I could even appreciate the beauty of the jumpers. They were wonderfully and beautifully made (right down to their four eyes).

Everything under the sun, from the smallest to biggest, has a purpose. Someone’s … or something’s … purpose isn’t diminished because we don’t know or understand their story. There is a purpose, a meaning, to everyone and everything. For me, the lesson is getting outside of my own attitude (that whole spider thing) and seeing and appreciating the beauty before me.

Patti Dobson writes about faith for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact her at:

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