Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4 (ESV)
Yes, I know that stickeries is not a word! But when a concept needs a definition and there isn’t one available, it is time to create an innovative word to describe it. As I sit writing this piece, one of my husband’s favorite lines comes to mind, “Who made Webster God?”
So, what are stickeries? Mother eagles use stickeries when they build their nests. The mother layers the nest with thorns, rocks, branches, and other sharp materials, unsuitable for a nesting place. But after the base is finished, she lines it with a dense padding of soft materials—feathers, fur, wool, or pine straw.
When the baby birds are ready to fly, the mother eagle stirs up the nest. She brings the thorns and sharp rocks to the surface, while slowly moving away the comfortable feathers and wool. In a gradual, deliberate process, the mother eagle changes the environment for her babies, making it uncomfortable for the purpose of prompting them to grow and mature.
Stickeries then are the uncomfortable pokings that begin to show up in our lives to promote change. They often begin as little jabs that irritate us to get our attention. As they continue, they can even become big prods, and if necessary, they become more prominent and stronger as the need for change grows. All of this is necessary because moving out of our comfort zones is never easy.
Stickeries should not be overlooked—but instead it is wise to welcome them—integrate them—and embrace them—so they can fulfill their purpose. They are necessary in life to keep us moving—to keep us growing—to keep us in the center of God’s will—and most certainly to make us sensitive to His divine leading and direction.
God is always at work in our lives, and we know He uses discomfort to begin a process of change in us. So, by faith we can even endure a bad case of the stickeries because His Word promises that by them He is perfecting us—completing us—and blessing us—with everything our souls long for!