You Are a Tree: And Other Metaphors to Nourish Life, Thought, and Prayer - Paperback

by Joy Marie Clarkson (Author)

In a world dominated by technology and efficiency, we speak of ourselves as computers: we process things, we recharge. But theologian and podcaster Joy Marie Clarkson suggests that people are more tree than computer. Pushing back against the impersonal way of viewing ourselves and the world, this book examines how metaphorical descriptions of our life and experiences shape the way we think, pray, and live. Weaving together personal stories, Scripture, poetry, and art, Joy offers a series of meditations on metaphors we use in everyday life to understand things like wisdom, security, love, change, and sadness. These reflections will inspire you to

- live with more joy, gratitude, and God-given purpose
- create healthier expectations of ourselves and others
- embrace the beauty of being a human crafted by God
- infuse the world with new meaning

When we grow more attentive to the words we use, our experiences of the world will become more rich and meaningful. We will see God, ourselves, our relationships, and the world in a new light and with a tapestry of scriptural imagery, full of hope, promise, and beauty.

Back Jacket

"That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither--whatever they do prospers."--Psalm 1:3

Sometimes we describe ourselves as trees. When we're thriving, we speak of being rooted and fruitful, in a good season. When we struggle, we might describe ourselves as withering, cut off from friendship and the world. These ways of describing ourselves matter because they shape the ways we live.

But in a world dominated by efficiency, we have begun to use more unforgiving metaphors. We speak of ourselves as computers: we process things, we recharge. In doing so, we come to expect of ourselves an exhausting, relentless productivity.

You Are a Tree examines how the metaphorical descriptions we use in everyday life shape the way we think, pray, and live. Weaving together meditations on our common human experiences, poetry, Scripture, and the Christian tradition, Joy Marie Clarkson explores how metaphors help us understand things like wisdom, security, love, change, and sadness.

This book invites you to pay attention--to your experiences, and to the words you use to describe them. That attention reveals a richly layered and meaningful world, a refreshing perspective that nurtures wonder, gratitude, and hope.

"Extraordinarily creative and beautifully written, You Are a Tree is a soul-stirring companion to life in God's world that will enrich the spirit of all who read it."--DAVID ZAHL, author of Low Anthropology

Author Biography

Joy Marie Clarkson is the author of Aggressively Happy and host of the Speaking with Joy podcast. She is a research associate in theology and literature at King's College London and the books editor for Plough Quarterly. She holds a PhD in theology from the University of St Andrews. Learn more at JoyClarkson.com.