We have learned this week that God doesn’t always give us direct answers to the big questions of life. What are we supposed to do when we have prayed and it still seems unclear what we should do? Today I want to introduce you to a tool called Stones Wires Fires. This tool is designed to help you observe your life. After going through this exercise you will have given yourself time to reflect on the various components that God and circumstances have put in your life. This tool can be invaluable when trying to make decisions for the future. You may not come away from this with some revelation from heaven but data is always helpful when making decisions.
First, quiet your heart in prayer and ask God to use this time of reflection. You can experience a more productive time if you don’t have distractions so silent your phone and find a place where you can focus. You can spend a long time on this tool if you like but I’d encourage you to spend at least 3-5 minutes reflecting and listing thoughts for each of the elements of the exercise.
Now, list 3-5 ideas under each of the Stones, Wires, and Fires. Don’t judge any of the elements on your list. This is about observing your life not judging it. It’s not helpful to be dishonest with yourself in order to avoid shame.
Stones
The stones of your life are the major life events that have shaped you. These things can be good (marriage, birth of a child) or hard (divorce of your parents, loss of a loved one).
Wires
This is how you are wired. Your personality, your spiritual gifts, and your temperament all make up how you are wired.
Fires
Fires are the things that you are passionate about. What gets you really excited? What do you spend your time thinking about? What challenges in the world would you most like to solve?
Finally, look at your list. What do you see? Is there a theme? Now what decisions did you bring into this exercise and does your list of Stones Wires and Fires give you any insight? You can also show your list to a trusted friend and ask them if they see any patterns.
I hope this tool has helped you in your process. If you don’t see any evident direction yet, give it some time. It often takes time to notice the connections between the various mile markers in your life.
By Aaron Bjorklund
