Spider Webs
The other day, I was getting into my car and I walked through a spider web. It was – well if you have ever walked through one, you know – it was yucky. I spent the next five minutes of driving trying to get whatever remained off of me. The only thing that really helped was getting my mind off the webs and onto wherever it was that I was driving.
So – other than to remind you just how sticky and clingy spider webs are – why would I relate this?
It got me thinking. Most emotions are like spider webs. When you spend a lot of time around people who are angry (or people who are happy), you end up feeling those feelings of anger on you until you can “get them off”. It is as if the people we spend time with have the ability to impose their emotions on us (and I would guess, we on them). It rarely matters when we are around happy people, who really minds being happy (other then Emo kids)?
It also struck me that when we praise and worship God, we are creating an atmosphere that can infect those around us – even those who have no real desire to praise or worship. I’m not just talking about music here; I’m talking about the attitude with which we live our lives. Being around someone who is prayerful and listening to them, will make you more prayerful (at least until you get distracted and forget about it). Being around and listening to someone who lives their life with an attitude of worship, will make us live more worshipfully.
So – what are you listening to, when you turn your radio on? What am I listening to right now? Honestly, I’m listening to some pretty angry and depressed music. Maybe I need to reconsider that. Maybe I’m allowing these spider webs to stay on me while I walk through the rest of my life.
It’s certainly something to think about.
Out.
So – other than to remind you just how sticky and clingy spider webs are – why would I relate this?
It got me thinking. Most emotions are like spider webs. When you spend a lot of time around people who are angry (or people who are happy), you end up feeling those feelings of anger on you until you can “get them off”. It is as if the people we spend time with have the ability to impose their emotions on us (and I would guess, we on them). It rarely matters when we are around happy people, who really minds being happy (other then Emo kids)?
It also struck me that when we praise and worship God, we are creating an atmosphere that can infect those around us – even those who have no real desire to praise or worship. I’m not just talking about music here; I’m talking about the attitude with which we live our lives. Being around someone who is prayerful and listening to them, will make you more prayerful (at least until you get distracted and forget about it). Being around and listening to someone who lives their life with an attitude of worship, will make us live more worshipfully.
So – what are you listening to, when you turn your radio on? What am I listening to right now? Honestly, I’m listening to some pretty angry and depressed music. Maybe I need to reconsider that. Maybe I’m allowing these spider webs to stay on me while I walk through the rest of my life.
It’s certainly something to think about.
Out.
posted by AndyM at 7:51 PM
2 Comments:
Wow. What a great mental picture.
I've been sitting here thinking about the people whose emotional "webs" have stuck to me as I've spent time with them -- both the good and the bad -- as well as other influences (such as music, which you mention, but also movies, TV, books, etc.)
I've also been wondering how much of a "web" I leave clinging to others. Without a doubt, my emotions are contagious to my family and friends -- especially if they are "darker" emotions (anger, sadness, frustration).
I want to leave the kind of emotional "webs" that people walk through and think, "Hey, that's kind of nice. I think I'll leave this clinging to me for a while."
Great stuff!
Great word picture!
I've been sitting here thinking about the kinds of emotional "webs" that people have left clinging to me -- both the good and the bad -- as well as the other influences (such as music, which you mention, but also movies, TV, books, and even things like the places I'm hanging out or the hours of the day when I'm doing my deep thinking).
Then I started wondering what kind of webs I'm leaving around for others to walk through. Without a doubt, my emotions are contagious to family and friends -- especially the "darker" ones like anger, sadness, and frustration.
I want to leave the kinds of webs that people walk through and think, "Hey, this is kinda nice. I think I'll leave this one hanging all over me for a while."
Great stuff!
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