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"The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, and it is in king's palaces." Proverbs 30:28 Let me add something to that verse. "The worms will find a way to escape the deluge and will visit your palace in the morning." Yes, you read that right. Worms. The wet weather activates them. They have to come out of their little worm runs because of the water. For whatever reason they seek out our kitchen floor and enter under the back door off the deck. Pretty much every morning after a rainy day we have the little beggars on our floor right near that door.

What's interesting is that they are not there thriving. They may have escaped the waterworld that had become their home but the new home they have sought is not a place of continual living either. By the time we arise in the morning several of them have found shelter in our house only to be lying there on the floor drying out. Very rarely do we awaken to the little vermin writhing actively in a sea of movement on the floor. Most often they are somewhat lifeless and, depending on how long they have been in the house, even a bit crusty.

What I am trying to figure out is, if they have such wonderful instincts for escaping the soaking death of their burrows, why do they migrate to a place where they still die? That is what absolutely buffaloes me. Granted, it doesn't keep me stone cold awake at night, but it just doesn't make sense. Why would something that thrives on a certain measure of moisture seek a totally dry environment for sanctuary from the rain? The only thing that I can deduce is the cold floor fools them into thinking that there is moisture available. Our floor is vinyl over a concrete slab and can be quite cold to bare feet in the morning.

In short, I guess the worms got fooled. I don't know if that conclusion would stand the scrutinity of worm specialists the world over, but it seems to be the likely reason to me. I mean, they're worms. I don't think that they are all that high up on the intelligence rankings of the creatures of the world. I would throw off something like, "they eat dirt," but show me a kid that didn't sample a mud pie somewhere along the way. For that matter, show me an adult that hasn't tried the same thing as the worms on my floor. Their world seems to be suffering from a sudden rush of disaster so the first thing they do is run from it and run right to the wrong decision. When all is coming apart, blame God.

"Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." James 1:13,14 Life is not a ride in which every turn is a good one. Take that from a man who has lost four family members before their time over a span of eight years. I lost my father to a sudden heart attack, my mother to a genetic deficiency and a 49 year old cousin and 59 year old sister to cancer. God is not at fault. We should not be fooled by the temptation to blame God and run to the safety of our personal emotions.

Those who run to the seeming safety of their "God is to blame" cold floor run to a life away from the Lord. Their spirit dries out and they become one of those crusty people with no joy in the Lord or life. We are better served to resist such a temptation to blame God, and seek His comfort instead. Leave the floor to the worms.

"Refreshment in Refuge" from Gina Burgess

What's to be thankful for in this?