Sticks intro sampler - Flipbook - Page 11
I wrote Sticks when my whole life felt like one big decision tree. If there was
an existential question about my career, my family, or our future, we were asking
it. We made more big decisions then than in any other season of our twenty-year
marriage. And each time I made a hard choice, the stakes felt high and my faith
was tested.
I needed God’s wisdom––his help in discerning what to do regarding the
weighty decisions. And when the next right step seemed clear, I needed the Spirit’s
empowerment to follow through. So I began to look for stories in the Bible where
people were seeking God’s wisdom, making hard choices, or finding their faith
tested, knowing that God would illuminate my own story through studying.
As I spent time meditating on Adam and Eve’s story in the Garden of Eden,
I noticed the beginning of a pattern in Scripture. Adam and Eve’s big decision
happened near two trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil. And as I explored further, searching for guidance in stories where people
had to make choices with lasting impact . . . I found more trees.
If you’re struggling with decision fatigue, studying the trees in the Bible will
help you prioritize the decisions that need your attention. All the little choices
will take up less brain space because you’ll be able to focus on what really matters.
If you’re looking for wisdom, studying trees in the Bible will root you deeply in
the Source of wisdom. Many of the people in our faith history faced hard choices,
too, and their successes and failures can be our teacher.
I’m praying your time studying trees in the Bible is an awe-inspiring catalyst
to engage and experience God’s truth––that you would marvel at the artistry of
God’s storytelling. And that the trees in the Bible will connect you to the Tree of
Life, enabling you to live wisely and to make hard choices that honor God.
Love,
xii
S T I C KS
