"Discover a secretly incredible life in an ordinary world."- Bob Goff
Um, yes please!
Doesn’t that sound amazing?!
This is the tagline to Bob Goff’s book, Love Does. (One of my official new favorites :)
Reading this book was an adventure.
Here are my top takeaways & thoughts behind his powerful words.
(Note: all words in italics are quotes from Bob.)
I used to think I could shape the circumstances around me, but now I know Jesus uses circumstances to shape me.
As a self-proclaimed control freak, this one hits me hard.
I love creating the atmosphere I’m living in (it’s super important to be intentional and steward our time well… but when does it become too much? For me, it’s when productivity trumps people.)
Hoping to do a better job of living life with open hands.
If Jesus has taught me anything, though, it’s that sometimes you can really want to know somebody and it takes them forever to want to know you back.
At the risk of sounding a little bit like a crazy person, this takeaway was kind of funny to me at first because it makes me think of people who I would love to have a friendship with but feel insecure about whether they feel the same way!
At first I was laughing at myself & my insecurities, but then I kind of felt sad when I realized that, as Bob says, this is totally what happens with Jesus and us, too.
So, this now makes me want to commit to having to an open heart and open eyes. Let’s pursue our relationship with the Lord and love one another well.
Beautiful sights are “proof that God loves us and pursues us and does things to get our attention like giving me my mind to perceive beauty and then wooing me with the beauty.”
Yup, totally agree. In the book Captivating, the author shares about how God leaves love notes and whispers of Him everywhere. Each time I see something beautiful in nature (or even humanity!), I try to pause and celebrate Him. It’s almost like the blessing is doubled!
We were all meant to save many lives. God is always trying to save lives, and it seems like He usually uses the least likely people to do it.
Isn’t this the truth. With God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26. He doesn’t usually call the qualified but qualifies the called so that all glory is clearly shown through Him!
When we accept Jesus’ invitation to participate with Him in life, obstacles that seem insurmountable aren’t. Impediments that we believe disqualify us don’t. When we show up to participate with Jesus in the big life, we’re participating with the very being who made life in the first place. He gently asks us how we are and invites us to get better together with Him.
So beautifully written. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). His power is made perfect in our weakness! (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I used to think God wouldn’t talk to me, but now I know I’m just selective with what I choose to hear.
Ha! Bob is a truth teller. Feeling convicted to be open to hearing it all to grow wiser from what He has to share.
If you want to know the answer to the bigger question- what’s God’s plan for the whole word? - buckle up: it’s us.
YES to this! I truly believe that we are called to serve as His hands and feet and are strengthened by Him to complete the tasks He calls us to. Praise God!
We get to be God’s plan for the whole world by pointing people toward Him.
Yes again! This is the whole point… We are to love God and love others. And through loving others we can point them to Christ. Who in your life might you want to challenge yourself to love well? It might not be easy but I think it can help us become more Christ like.
Dust for fingerprints of Jesus.
Yes. To me, this is a beautiful way of saying to show gratitude. Make an effort to see blessings all around you. Then, share your discoveries with others!!
We all have these friends, these amazing people who seem to live on the edge of death. It must be because it’s on that edge where they feel most alive, where they have the best perspective on life. Have you noticed that lots of people who trust God seem to be wired to live near the edge?
There is some big truth in this! The times I have felt most alive are when I’ve trusted God in a big way. And it sure does feel God to live fully with God.
The problem is, the Bible said the only weapon any of us really has is love. But it’s love like a word without a handle and because of that, sometimes we’ll get cut when we pick it up. It’s supposed to be close contact, though. Love always is that way.
Bob nails it again. Love can be hard, but it can also be so, so rewarding. Thank you Bob for so simply (and beautifully!) reminding us that love is multifaceted.
You’ve read the stories in this book, but what’s better than all of those stories are the ones you’re continuing to write with your life.
As much as I love getting swept up by a book, let’s remember to actually get swept up by our own stories, too.
Let me tell you what I do when I don’t know what to do to move my dreams down the road. I usually just try to figure out what the next steps and then I do that. After that, things start happening. Things that perhaps have God’s fingerprints on them. You’ll know which ones do and which ones don’t. Pick the ones that do.
I have heard this same advice before, but said in a different way! Just take the next step. God doesn’t always lay out all the entire plan from the get go. We are called to have faith and lean into Him. He will guide us step by step through the direction of the Holy Spirit- we might receive clarity through His word, prayer, journaling, and what’s happening all around us.
He made us to be good at a few things and bad at a couple others. He made us to love some things and not like others. Most of all, He made us to dream. We were meant to dream a lot. Heaven’s been leaning over the rails in the same way ever since you got there, waiting to see what you’ll do with your life.
This is such a beautiful scene to me. If you know me at all, you know I am so motivated and encouraged by the fact that God has gifted us in unique ways. It's one of the areas I'll coach women on because it can be so totally life changing!
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And guys, guess what?!
I saw Bob in person last month! Yes, my husband & I and a few other members of the Charlotte Leadership Forum went to hear him speak last week (craziness!) and it was SO good. Definitely do yourself a favor and GO if he’s traveling to you anytime soon. <3
Thankful for what God is doing through Bob’s life and how in turn, he is impacting ours.
Want someone to come alongside you as you figure out how to live an incredible life?
Let's talk! <3