The two most influential books I have ever read.
I read Love Does and Everybody Always during a time in my life when I was pursuing the wrong people, the wrong relationships, and ultimately the wrong life.
I grew up in a home that was full of love, kindness, and consistently being involved in church. I’m so grateful I grew up in a home like that, but I haven’t always had that gratitude. Throughout High School, the transition to college, and moving (my parents moved 40 minutes away from our hometown, which we had lived in my whole life, 2 weeks after I graduated High School), I was struggling a lot with my identity and purpose.
I grew up learning my identity is found in Christ and I believed that, but I had slowly strayed away from my family, my friends, and most of all God. I lost sight of my purpose which had a trickle effect on my identity.
Throughout this time, I dated guys who were wrong for me, I made bad decisions that made me sick to my stomach, and I pushed away the people I truly loved. I was hurting people, well, because I was hurting. I couldn’t see light as I was running down a dark path.
Finally, about 2 years through college, the covid-19 happened. I was sent home from the college I was attending and was stuck at home with my family for almost 6 months. Being home and with my family forced me to fix the hurt. I started reading Love Does by Bob Goff…for the second time (I had first read it in High school but didn’t really care about what I was reading) and then read Everybody Always. As I was reading these books, I comprehended the wisdom of Bob on a new and completely different level than the first time.
I Finally Saw Light
I hated the lifestyle I was living, it wasn’t me or who I was made to be. The timing of COVID-19 and being sent home was perfect timing for me and everything I was going through. The stories, the lessons, the wisdom, and the authenticity in Love Does and Everybody Always was everything I needed to hear. It was God’s timing because it was perfect. I started making some changes in my life and I could not have done it if I wasn’t at home surrounded by my family and my close friends.
Life Was Still Hard
I began to slowly cut ties with the people and the choices in my life that I knew were wrong. But after living a lifestyle that is controlled by worldly ways for several years, it’s hard to break and fall out of those patterns and habits (mentally and emotionally). But when reading Love Does and Everybody Always, I was reminded that I was not made to be perfect. I was made to be a vessel of love.
Live in Love
I was made to be love. That’s my purpose, my identity, and everything in between. I will never be perfect, I will fail, and I will hurt and disappoint people. God didn’t make us to be perfect, He made us to live a life full of love.
Discovering a Lifestyle You Love
My lifestyle is surrounded and captivated by loving people. I want to love my neighbor who is always alone, I want to love the friend who hurt me dearly, I want to love the “Karen” at Sam’s Club who is making a scene, and I want to love everybody always (see what I did there lol). I want to love because everybody is worth loving and love overcomes all. When your heart is in a posture of purity and you are trying your hardest but still feel like you are failing, that is the character and integrity that God cares about. Not if you are living in perfection because that’s just unrealistic and not how God made us.
Made For Love
God made us for love. He created us to surround each other in community. We will all go through trials and veer off our paths at some point in our lives. But God didn’t intend for us to go through life alone. He made us to go through life together, to encourage and love one another.
Just Love
Love has taught me so much about life. Mostly, it’s taught me to be patient and to be kind. In everything I do and everywhere I go, I have formed a perspective to love first. Isn’t that what Jesus did? He came to Earth and just loved everyone. That is exactly what I want to do, just love, everyone and all. I want to follow Jesus as He loved first.
If you have made it this far, I want to thank you for staying with me and reading. I know I’m not the only one who has struggled with their identity and purpose. I believe God created us to share life and stories like mine to make sure that we never feel alone because we are never alone. We are in this life together!
If you are interested in reading Love Does or Everybody Always, click the links to check them out. I pray you get a chance to read them and let them influence your life like I did.
