We had the privilege of listening to Bob Goff share some stories today at George Fox University. In the course of “what, it’s over already?” kind of 45 minutes, I think I heard variations of “Lets go do stuff” about a dozen times. I told Nate afterward that I want to figure out how to pipe Bob’s enthusiasm, laugh and motivation into my brain every day. Maybe he could be morning wake up call: “Get up. Lets go do stuff.”
His version of going and doing stuff is pretty incredible. That’s why there’s a link to his blog because I think you should read about it for yourself. What you miss out by just reading his words though is his awesome, “can you believe this is happening?” kinda laugh that is truly infectious.
So here were a few great takeaways from today:
- No one dreams of becoming typical… live into who you are made to be. Seriously, stop and read that again. LIVE. INTO. WHO. YOU. ARE. MADE. TO BE. You are made to be something right now, not a future version of yourself, and you may just have to “live” into it…not study or think or prepare or plan or just dream… live it. Today. I hear that to be about a present tense and purpose that often gets pushed aside by procrastination, fear and misplaced priorities if I’m really being honest with myself.
- He gave up going to “Bible Studies” because he wants to be a “Bible doer” – so he reads and thinks about what Jesus talks about while he flies to Uganda to go do some stuff that he thinks is the kind of stuff that matters to Jesus, like bringing hope, justice and love. He said he believes great things happen (seriously, have you read any of his blog yet?) because he knows what Jesus loves AND he (Bob and other people in his life) decided to just show up and try to do some stuff.
- “I don’t know all the steps but I know the next step.” – I couldn’t help but smile as I heard this because this is so much of what Nate and I have been saying to each other almost daily recently. Our version of it has been “lets just show up and see what happens…” and for the perfectionists, planners, low-risk takers that we are, this is a s t r e t c h. We’ve been saying this about our Sunday gatherings and we’ve been saying this about the other six days of the week, too. It’s pretty much every day that we are realizing that we need to just show up and be present, to be available, to be there for someone or something or some unplanned conversation. And at the end of the day we end up saying, “Wow, that was pretty serendipitous, like God orchestrated it!” (Yes, sometimes we are slow to catch on.)
It was affirming, encouraging and inspiring to hear it from someone who has, by many accounts, done a lot of stuff…like build a high school in Northern Uganda out of literally nothing but mud, or authored books, or speak at conferences all over the country, or has been to the White House, or who has helped put witch-doctors who mutate children in jail, and the stories really do go on and on.
Yet it would be really easy to evaluate someone who has done these kinds of world-changing, life-altering things, as someone who has some fast track to getting something done that is so far beyond me that it’s too far beyond me. Especially as I sit here during my boys nap time with piles of laundry in baskets at my feet, dinner to make, and a life that does not include world politicians, global flights, and a law degree.
And for anyone who reads this you may think, but I’m not out to change the world… Sure, maybe you aren’t the way Bob Goff has. But maybe if you were honest, like even uncomfortably honest with yourself and you thought about something that you think maybe you could do, or God has maybe even nudged you to do, with your passions, skills, interests or dreams… are you doing it?
The story of my life, which is written daily, could go two ways. It could either be lived out as someone who did some stuff, who took some next steps to actually do some things, whatever they may be (because I really don’t think God cares about how big my steps of obedience or faith are compared to anyone else’s)… Or I can read and study, prepare and plan as I sit on the sidelines just cheering people like Bob Goff on.
I do cheer you on Bob, but I heard you today cheering me on as well. Thanks for that.
Yes, lets go do stuff.
- kim
