Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
Just to put you at ease up front, I have no intention of telling you what to believe or what I think is right. What I intend to say is not what I think you should believe, or what I think is the truth, just simply what I think. You don’t need to respond and tell me what you think, but you can certainly do that if you are so inspired. I’m not interested in having a debate about this, so if you think I am nuts, you are probably correct. However, don’t expect me to engage in any back-and-forth discussion because I really don’t care what people think about me. Don’t confuse that with me not caring about people, because that can’t be further from the truth. That kind of statement could be taken wrong, and is perhaps why it wouldn’t be the first time I have been called unflattering names. I’m just someone who speaks his mind without worrying about being politically correct.
Much of my postal career was spent as a manager. I worked my way up the ranks, motivated mostly by what I considered shortcomings of the people who were responsible for my productivity. One of my pet peeves as a supervisor and a postmaster was the employees who would tell me what they thought I wanted to hear, as opposed to what they thought. I called them on it often, but it was not something that I would hear from just a few people. It bothered me a lot, still does. Please understand that I believe I can say what’s on my mind without breaking my self-declared rules of not writing stories about religion, politics, or getting too negative. What I believe is comforting to me, and I am not expecting any reader to feel the same way. Please don’t feel the need to tell me I am wrong because I am not telling you how to feel or what to do, I am simply stating what helps me navigate this complex, often mean and crazy world we live in.
I believe in God. I believe in the story of Jesus and the power of prayer. I believe God can and does do miracles. I believe, not because I was told this in church, but because I have experienced such things. I believe God answers prayer as I have learned how to look for and recognize His answers. I believe many “well-intentioned” people give advice to loved ones that only make the situation worse. That is why I have gone out of my way to clarify that I am not writing this as advice but something that God has put on my heart to share.
I believe there is a Heaven and a Hell. If there is no Heaven, then how could there be a Hell? I try to do good here on earth, not because I don’t want to go to Hell, but rather it helps me deal with all the ugliness that we see every day. I prefer to believe that God is in control, even though sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. If there is no Heaven and I die and just become worm food, what does it matter that I was wrong. I’m not even gonna know. But believing that God is in control, and He answers prayers, helps me to look for the good in all the bad things that are happening all over this planet. Being able to pray for something you cannot do is reassuring that it doesn’t have to be this way.
I believe I spend way too much time on Facebook, and I have confessed to this many times. I learn to scroll past the negative stuff, but sometimes they are very clever in engaging your attention. It’s a constant battle. This world can be ugly beyond your darkest nightmares, or it can be incredibly beautiful. I believe there is plenty of beautiful art and photographic images to focus on, and that keeps me engaged with Facebook. I believe that it’s entirely up to what you focus on. I have a cousin who is always posting those positive memes. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to those uplifting little ditties every day. Keep it up, Mic, you are doing God’s work in a big way, at least that’s what I believe.
