Book Review of Bob Goff’s “Love Does”
Love is about more than words or feelings: It’s actions, and almost no one, except for Jesus, shows love through actions more than Bob Goff.
Love, wild stories , and a life of adventure
In his anecdotal New York Times bestseller, “Love Does,” Goff goes walks through the different events in his life which have shaped him and in which he’s learned something about God. These events range in everything from accidentally eating a package of Crisco, to becoming a consul of Uganda because of a prank call. Goff shows readers what it’s like to live an incredible life, take crazy opportunities that come along, and to see God through it all.
Reading this book feels is like learning about a new friend. Imagine having dinner with someone you don’t know very well, but are trying become more familiar with. You exchange interesting and unique stories about yourself giving one another deep, personal insights. That’s what reading “Love Does” is like. Goff’s writing is personal and funny, and gives you an opening into a life that’s hard to believe is truly a reality.
The book is structured with each chapter beginning with an anecdote from Goff’s life, which he then connects to a spiritual truth. Because of this layout, readers find themselves becoming quite invested in it. They not only learn about him, but also see how it connects to them and their personal walk with God. It feels like a conversation in that way: one listens to what he has to say and then responds by connecting what they intake with their own experiences.
The content is what really makes this book even more incredible. Each chapter contains a story full of life and adventure. Readers learn that Goff took his daughter to England for less than 24 hours because she wanted to have a tea party for her tenth birthday, and that a random stranger asked if he could propose to his girlfriend on their back porch, which Goff agreed to, and added a dinner, dance party, boat ride, and water-canons. He got into law school, after failing the LSAT, by sitting outside the dean’s office for two weeks until the dean finally let him into the program. When his kids wanted to talk with government leaders all over the world after 9/11, he and his wife took them to every leader who agreed to meet with them (29 in total.) Goff works as a successful lawyer, but views it simply as his day job so he can continue working with children in Uganda and India, saving and helping those who have been trafficked. He also started a school for children who formerly had no access to education, and continually jumps at opportunities that most of us would feel uncomfortable over if even considering doing.
He lives a life where his love is backed by action.
Throughout the book, one of the most prominent themes is God’s love for us involving action. God doesn’t just say He loves us; He shows it. And the biggest way He’s shown it is through sending Jesus to die for us.
Bob Goff didn’t settle for the ordinary. He didn’t go halfway. He gives life everything, and he gives love everything. Some may say his actions are excessive, but for him, they are the norm.
Through the book, readers will come to grasp that love is more than words: love does.
Danielle Crowley is a staff writer for the Daily Runner.
