So I’ve been asked as a member of Admin. Team to read a book to discuss with Pastor Todd. Anyone who knows me knows unless it is by Patterson, Clancy or Cussler it really doesn’t excite me all that much. Plus, I seem to have one of those personalities that when someone tells you to read a book, I want to do the opposite. The true procrastinator comes out.
The book Everybody Always isn’t one of the afore-mentioned authors; it was written by Bob Goff. It is a gem: full of humor (the only way to reach me outside of assassination plots) and Godly wisdom. I found myself reading the first six chapters tonight—like I said, procrastination—and those six chapters spoke to my heart. My eyes were filled with tears by Chapter 3, and by Chapter 6 I was laughing so hard I had to will myself to stop reading so I could blog this bit out.
As I said, this book spoke to me. Goff speaks about love in an intimate way that I believe many of us miss out on daily. It is not just about loving the people that are easy to love; it is about loving the people that you don’t want to love, such as the person who cuts you off in traffic, the person who is always trying to be the center of attention, and the people who drive you nuts. Loving the people around you who are homeless, or are in other ways different (you believe) than yourself. You know who I am talking about—the people who you may have already consciously or subconsciously passed judgment on. That judgment is not love talking. It is our broken humanness talking and justifying at the same time.
Jesus did not come down from heaven to hang out with his family and the 12 strong “holy huddle”. He came to love on the tax collectors, the sick—both mentally and physically—and all manner of people stuck in their own bad choices. He came to lead by example, and show us how we should love each other. He said “love your neighbor” and is it any wonder that the neighborhood He was speaking of was a worldly one? He commands us to love God, love each other, and if that didn’t go far enough, He threw in “love your enemies” as well. I don’t believe that leaves anyone out.
My wife told me once that I love everyone. Apparently, God needed to reach me because I don’t think she can say that anymore. It’s not surprising that the sermon Pastor Todd delivered on Sunday was then reinforced with this book, because I am not loving like Jesus wants. I want to get back to the point where I love everybody, always again. It is tough, I will be vulnerable, and I will sometimes fail. But God is a loving and grace-filled God and He has me right where He wants me—at Living Hope Community Church. I frequently hear great things about our church from people in our community, and it is always wonderful to hear that we are doing things well. I can’t wonder why we were brought to this church—there is so much love and grace to be found here. And it is no wonder I was asked to write a blog—there are others who also need to relearn how to love everybody, always.
I want to leave you with one last bit of wisdom I gleaned from Everybody, Always. For those who know me, you will understand why this particular part of the book was memorable. The author talks about taking lessons on parachuting. Part of that training was what happens when both chutes fail…He states that it isn’t the first impact that kills you, it is the bounce after your bones have already shattered. He compares this to people in our lives who make mistakes or fail in some way. The failure is the first impact. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could catch everybody on the bounce? All too often we pass judgment and shame. We should be extending our arms in love just as Jesus did.
-Steve E