3 Ways To Know How Your Stick Floats

by Stephen Bly

A man from Bellevue, Washington wrote to me that he could recall his grandfather always saying, “Well, if that’s the way your stick floats.” He wondered where that came from.

 I wasn’t sure if it was a western-ism, but dug around until I found the source. 

It hails from old mountain man days, circa 1820 to 1840. When they set a beaver trap all loaded with bait and scent down in the water, they would cord a stick onto the trap and drive it into the bank or bottom of the stream. This kept the beaver from swimming off with the trap. But if the beaver did yank it free, the stick would float, even if the beaver drowned. This helped the trapper locate the beaver and his very valuable trap.

So the phrase came to mean that you understood what direction a conversation was headed.

Sometimes it seems those around Jesus didn’t know the point of his teaching. He wasn’t impressed with their confusion: “Your eyes are to see with—why don’t you look? Why don’t you open your ears and listen? Don’t you remember anything at all?” (Mark 8:18 TLB)

Jesus realized not everyone in the crowds would understand him. But he did expect those closest to him to comprehend. However, the disciples often seemed more interested in what they were saying than in Jesus’ words.

Jesus spoke to thousands of men, women and children with stories, parables and straight up teaching. He followed up with miracles. He died, yet lives again. It doesn’t take theological experts to know which way His stick floats. 

Here's 3 ways to know which way your spiritual stick floats ...

a) You believe Jesus can save you 

b) You begin each day asking, "What do You want me to do, Lord?"

c) You're anxious to do His will

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