Interfaith Voices: The Birds and the Bs: Become, Belong and Believe

The following article was originally published as part of Interfaith Voices, a weekly column in the Corvallis Gazette-Times. Because the original publication is behind a paywall, I’m sharing the full text here for readers who may not have access. I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to Interfaith Voices and to continue the conversation here.

Original publication:
https://democratherald.com/corvallis/news/article_e1a65d9e-3c3c-46ab-9774-8f137a08c192.html

The 3 Bs: Become, Belong and Believe
by Jonathan Stoll

Since the beginning of time, humans have asked the same questions:

Why are we here? How did we come to be? What should we do with this life?

Every religious and spiritual tradition has offered stories—creation tales, sacred texts, guiding principles—to help us make meaning. These teachings can be beautiful and grounding, but over time many have become focused more on mechanics—what to do and not do—than on the deeper invitation of what it means to be.

Today, many people feel weary from doctrine—the pressure to get everything “right,” to believe the “right” way, to follow one prescribed path. In all that noise, we often forget the true invitation of spiritual life: to become, to belong, and to believe.

That is the heartbeat behind The Birds and the Bs, a series of illustrated folktales and a companion deck of reflection cards I’ve created to help people slow down, look inward, and reconnect with the wisdom already within them. The cards aren’t rules; they’re invitations—gentle prompts that help us pause long enough to hear what our inner teacher is trying to say. They remind us that spiritual growth is not about mastering doctrine, but awakening the sacred potential already alive inside each of us.

For much of my life, my biggest struggle wasn’t believing in God—it was believing in myself. I carried insecurities I couldn’t name, always wondering if I was enough or if I even had permission to trust my own inner knowing. Over time, I learned I wasn’t alone. Many people say, “I believe in God,” yet wrestle with trusting the Divine within themselves.

This is why I describe my calling this way:
I am here to help people believe again.
Believe in God.
Believe in themselves.
Believe in the quiet, guiding Presence that lives within us.

Traditions name that Presence differently, yet all point toward a shared truth.  Christians speak of the Spirit within. Quakers call it the Inner Light. Indigenous traditions honor the breath and wisdom of all living things. And in Hindu culture, the greeting namaste means, “The divine light in me honors the divine light in you.”

I call it the Inner Teacher—our inner G: God, Gut, and Guidance.

The sacred spark, the intuition that whispers, the deep knowing that rises from within and says, “This is the way.”

In the story Believe: Badger & the Banyan Tree, Badger—uncertain and mocked by the birds—searches outward for what he already carries within. Banyan redirects him inward:

“Close your eyes, little one,” Banyan said. “The wisdom you seek isn’t out there. Listen beneath your fear. What stirs in your chest? What rises from your belly? That is the Light that has always been yours.”

Badger placed his paw on his heart and feels a warmth he had never noticed—a quiet courage beginning to glow from within.

Science affirms this kind of inner knowing. The gut-brain connection shapes our emotions and decisions, and the placebo effect shows how belief changes the body. When people trust that healing is possible, their brains release chemicals, stress decreases, and the body initiates real physiological change.

Belief becomes biology.
Belief, then, is not wishful thinking—it is a force that shapes our becoming.

My work with The Birds and the Bs is one small offering to a truth found across every tradition:
Divinity is not distant.
It is within us—
a light,
a gut knowing,
a presence guiding us toward love.

If these stories or cards help someone believe in themselves again, believe in God again, or trust their inner G, then my purpose is fulfilled. Because belief doesn’t just shape our thoughts—belief shapes who we become.

Bio

J-STOLL teaches in OSU’s College of Business and is a spoken-word poet and member of the Corvallis Friends Meeting. Learn more about his interfaith reflection deck at www.thebirdsandthebs.com.