Some silly people are terrified of spiders. If you're one of them, then a recent story from the New York Times is for you. Apparently, a Seattle man tried to kill a spider in his laundry room with a homemade blow torch—"a very dangerous can of spray paint set aflame by a lighter." Big mistake. The result? He burned his house down.

By the time the fire department put out the blaze that ensued, it had caused $40,000 in damages to the house and $20,000 to property inside. It is unclear if the spider survived." This "solution" was definitely worse than the problem.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated 12-6-17

Possible Preaching Angle:

Same for many of our lives—the fixes we come up with are often foolish, ill-advised, or downright dangerous. We feel lonely, so we turn to the "company" of pornography or an abusive relationship to "solve" the issue. We feel insignificant, so we turn for affirmation on social media, leading to the original problem spiraling out of control. What we need is a solution bigger than the problems we face, and ultimately, there's only one—Jesus.