Stop listening to the wrong people
Being a typical Aussie bloke, at the beginning I would keep my talks with the Bloke Upstairs very private – just between him and me. I felt like I would be seen as ‘wussy’ to actually be talking publicly about God, especially as a truckie.
About this time a special lady who was inspirational for my life skills gave me a sticker that said: ‘Truckin’ for Jesus’. Because of pride or call it what you like, I didn’t have the guts to put this sticker on show. So I put it high on the inside sunshade in the cabin, just for me and the Big Fella to know about, a people pleasing decision. I could tell my friend, ‘Yes, I have the sticker on my truck,’ but keep it as a personal thing for my Creator and me. It was always embarrassing when some stranger got in the cab or stood outside in a position where they could read ‘Truckin’ for Jesus’.
I can look back now and say that I wasn’t being the realdeal about this. I thought I needed people’s approval – but what I needed was knowing for real my Creator’s plan for me. I spent too much time listening to the wrong people and worrying about their opinions. I needed to go straight to the top. No middleman.
I was listening to people who didn’t understand the heart of a real-deal bloke. They didn’t really care about me, so why was I seeking their approval?
It was like when I was first talking about buying the truck, and everyone in the office had opinions. I worried about things they said to me. Once I got out and actually started doing the job, any of the negative things they’d said to me were nothing. They didn’t have a clue!
It’s the same with talking to the Big Fella. Some people will say negative things about it, but it’s only because they don’t understand it. Once you start finding out for yourself, you’ll wonder why you ever worried about their opinions.
Come on! It’s all about being real. When you get to be more who you are, you can listen to people’s big ideas about what you believe, and then you can go away and put the billy on, have a cup of tea and think: Is what they said for real? No, it’s a bit stupid.
