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According to Bob Goff, why is it so important to have childlike faith? What did God tell his disciples about becoming childlike?
In his book Everybody, Always, Bob Goff talks about the importance of approaching life with childlike faith. He says that when you are more open to new things, you will no longer feel fear.
Keep reading to hear Bob Goff’s personal experience with childlike faith.
The Power of Childlike Faith
According to Bob Goff in Everybody, Always, Faith is not an easy thing to maintain all the time, but you can simplify the process by approaching life like a child. Jesus told His disciples that they needed to become childlike to make it to the kingdom of God. He was not saying they should become childish. Rather, He meant they shouldn’t fear the unknown. Children are curious by nature and more open to discovering new things in the world than adults are. When you have childlike faith, your fears will dissipate.
Put your trust in God with childlike wonder, and you will be able to move forward with love when things become difficult. When you love instead of fear, you can handle the negative events in your life with grace and courage and accept them as part of the path God has set before you. These feelings will pass from you into others and infect them with a similar childlike faith.
Bob Goff’s Example
In his book, Bob Goff uses the example of his relationship with his neighbor Carol to illustrate the power of childlike faith. He and his wife, Maria, were compulsive movers. They lived in six different houses the first 10 years after they were married. But they finally found a place they loved and could settle down in, and this house just happened to be across the street from their current home. When they started interviewing potential buyers for their old home, they were really interviewing potential neighbors.
After many interviews, Bob and his family decided to sell to Carol, a 50-something widow. Carol became like a member of Bob’s family. His kids often played with her and shared their accomplishments with her. Carol, in turn, fed them cookies and looked after them like they were her own.
Because Carol was alone, Bob had a habit of calling to check on her every week. On one of these calls, Carol told him she’d been diagnosed with cancer. Bob was sad and scared, and he could tell she felt the same. Without giving it a second thought, Bob left his home and returned a bit later with walkie-talkies. He gave one to Carol and kept the other for himself.
The walkie-talkies became their new and only form of communication. They felt like kids talking through two cans and a string from different tree houses. They felt silly, which helped them feel childlike, and that feeling helped Carol feel less afraid.
Carol’s cancer fight wasn’t easy, and she often ended up in the emergency room. On one occasion, she was taken in for emergency surgery. Bob snuck into the recovery ward with his walkie-talkies and asked the nurse to put one next to Carol’s bed. He slipped into the other bed in the room and pulled back the curtain. Then, he started calling her name over the walkie-talkie. It was a silly and bizarre thing to do in a hospital, but it made Carol laugh so hard, she cried. That laughter removed her fear and helped her keep her faith.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Bob Goff's "Everybody Always" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full Everybody Always summary :
- How to live your life like Jesus lived his
- Why you need to open yourself up to God's love and give love to others
- How to deepen your faith by focusing on love rather than showing that you "agree" with God
