It's Scary!

[Emman_Jumpsong1]

Spiders

1. Bugs. BUGS. Except for harmless beetles, ladybugs, and butterflies.

Bees and any other stinging, venomous insects/arachnids/THINGS

Spiders

Spiders, just spiders. And centip- you know what, BUGS and INSECTS and ANARCHIDS (idk how to spell)

Bugs

Large creepy crawlies in general (except at the zoo)

SPIDERS!

huge, hairy spiders.

Me too!

I wonder what you will do if you see this in the house you live in.

I have. I am also willing to face these particular fears down.

The reason for posting is, I am wondering if anyone else on the forums actually shares this fear. Or if they have the opposite fear, the fear of not being liked.

I now a few people have a similar fear of liking the wrong person. (Me and my girlfriend)

spiders (SUPER CREEPY)

[Eerie_Coppernight]

My reaction, in all frankness, was a whispered TBHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

I would be perfectly fine with moving to a place like Australia as long as I had a man to kill all the spiders for me.

[Sierepica_Fuzzywalker]

I now a few people have a similar fear of liking the wrong person. (Me and my girlfriend)

Liking the wrong person is no harm, no loss if your worldview is biblically guided, I have found.

The thing is, we humans tend NOT to like the sin nature of mankind, and so it is unlikely that liking a person will blind you to their sin.* ** Unless you share the same sin as they do, or your sin feeds off of theirs, in which case all bets are off. But all bets would be off anyway - if you didn’t like the person, you would probably end up relentlessly criticizing them for the exact same sin that you are doing while they hate you for precisely the same thing!

*Just keep on telling yourself that, Miss_S.

**This is why marriages aren’t happy all the time. You like the person, then you marry them, and they you get to discover how sinful and awful they truly are, and then you don’t like them anymore. This doesn’t mean you married the wrong person, because this would happen no matter who you married. The sin nature of mankind is universal. Every single human being is the wrong person to get married to, and there are no right people. Some people are just more wrong than others.

Everyone is terrible at marriage because marriage was instituted between two sinless people in the Garden. No union of two sinful people is going to be comfortable. You would be wise to get over this now before you get married, if you ever do.

[Eerie_Coppernight]

Toys with a rose in Byronic fashion. "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. Nor hath love's mind of any judgement taste. Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste. And therefore is love said to be a child, because in choice he is oft beguiled."

That's Shakespeare for those who don't know.

sighs, Eros is a frightening thing. To love wildly, lawlessly, even rebelliously seems abhorrent to those who admire order and logic. Control, we tell ourselves, is needed in all things. Ah, ladies, what impenetrable fortresses some make of their hearts while others are welcoming cottages. Yet, we may take courage. The gentleman who knows that unfathomable treasure rests in such castles may not be gone from the world.

[Sierepica_Fuzzywalker]

I counter this argument with the reasoning that order and logic is required to survive a marriage, regardless if the woman is a well-defended fortress or a relaxed and welcoming sort. Regardless of whether it is a cottage or a fortress, there are monsters inside. The fortress ones might be more violent and nasty, but the cottage ones are tempting and harder to spot.

In a fallen world, a marriage is an obnoxious mutual sanctification project. It requires a mutual dedication to the truth of Scripture and prayer for one another, and that is true whether the love is reckless and dramatic or quiet and soft.

People who like each other may more likely to believe lies about the other, but that is idolatry and getting taken in by false hope. The problem is not the liking, it’s the lies you’re believing and the idol worship you’re doing. It is possible for the liking to motivate you to be more Scripturally focused and keep an eye out for sin because you want the two of you to do well. God is God and the other person is not, and if you love them, you will help them follow God.

[Emman_Jumpsong1]

I would be perfectly fine with moving to a place like Australia as long as I had a man to kill all the spiders for me.

He better.

Liking the wrong person is no harm, no loss if your worldview is biblically guided, I have found.

The thing is, we humans tend NOT to like the sin nature of mankind, and so it is unlikely that liking a person will blind you to their sin.* ** Unless you share the same sin as they do, or your sin feeds off of theirs, in which case all bets are off. But all bets would be off anyway - if you didn’t like the person, you would probably end up relentlessly criticizing them for the exact same sin that you are doing while they hate you for precisely the same thing!

*Just keep on telling yourself that, Miss_S.

**This is why marriages aren’t happy all the time. You like the person, then you marry them, and they you get to discover how sinful and awful they truly are, and then you don’t like them anymore. This doesn’t mean you married the wrong person, because this would happen no matter who you married. The sin nature of mankind is universal. Every single human being is the wrong person to get married to, and there are no right people. Some people are just more wrong than others.

Everyone is terrible at marriage because marriage was instituted between two sinless people in the Garden. No union of two sinful people is going to be comfortable. You would be wise to get over this now before you get married, if you ever do.

I didn’t read most of this. It was a concern we had at a time. We became at peace after our tests a long time ago and became more certain that if it was the case, without God in our lives, we would not still be together.

[Beckendorf_Direscope]

That's when you go down to the basement and grab the good old 4/10...

[Emily_Purplebottle]

All you have to do is bear in mind the practicality of spiders. They eat pesky insects.

[Jayhawk_Greencape]

I can't do heights... Looking down is the real issue really.

[Sierepica_Fuzzywalker]

I may or may not have told this story on the forums before, but one time I lived in a neighborhood with so many flies that they just kept coming in the house and apparently the window screens just weren’t good enough to keep them out.

But, a colony of spiders decided to take up residence outside my window, building their webs over the screens on the outside. I was so fed up with the flies that I just let them live. They ate all of the flies that tried to get into my room, and my room was the most habitable place in the house.

After that, I became very appreciative of my arachnid friends. They also have conveniently decided to build webs on my porch swing outside, which helps keep said swing a fly-free environment. So unless you are a pesky fly trying to annoy me, you have nothing to fear from the spiders. They are here to be nice.

[Levi_Orangeburst]

Looking down at BIG SPIDERS is worse.

[Sierepica_Fuzzywalker]

breathe

Suggestion for those dealing with this fear: Take a deep breath. Imagine that your air is coming in through your feet. Breathe again, and imagine that it’s coming in through your hands this time. Now breathe again and imagine that it’s coming in through your head. If needed, take a fourth breath and imagine that it’s coming in and out of your belly.

This exercise helps deal with fear, because it relaxes each of your tense muscles in turn, and places you back in control of your body.

Here’s another spider. breathe

[Josiah_Ironcraft1]

I’m afraid of being afraid because I love bees and wasps love it when they land on me but they can smell the pheromones you release when you’re afraid and will attack

[Levi_Orangeburst]

Scientifically afraid. Respekt.

[Mr_T5]

I do!! in fact i have about 9 ex-crushes lol

[Sierepica_Fuzzywalker]

Congratulations on passing up 9 unsuitable relationships, and I am sorry for your misfortunes.

I hope someone will come along who will be able to handle your greatness as well as your fear.

[Mr_T5]

thank you. i actually just ended another one in a conversation

[Mr_T5]

SFTDP

I just got a sticky hand so I can slap him when he gets in bed.

[Christopher_Puddlevest1]

Perfect!!

[Sierepica_Fuzzywalker]

Add "winning" and "losing" to my list of fears.

Winning isn't safe because of the retribution that will soon be coming, and losing is scary because it is losing stuff. sigh Back to the therapy office for me - I just can't get a break from that, can I?