Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People

In Chapters 10-14, the author deals extensively with Christian service in the face of obstacles and human emotions. Goff begins Chapter 10 by describing the extensive amount of time he spends flying and in airports. He relates renting a plane he parked next to two military jets, the pilots of which told him they flew through the mountains to hone their skills. Goff notes he wanted to play it safe while the military pilots were intentionally taking risks to improve their flying. He correlates this distinction to faith: “[…] Jesus never asked anyone to play it safe” (87). He argues that playing it safe is an abandonment of faith. God never intends for us to “come back the same” but rather to grow “more dependent on Him” (87). Goff asserts that God puts “people who are becoming love” in “uncomfortable places because He knows most of us are too afraid to seek them out ourselves” (88).

In the second half of the chapter, he describes an absent green light in the cockpit indicating the plane’s front landing gear did not deploy. Eventually, Goff safely landed the plane with the wheel in place. Reflecting on the incident, he states, “It’s easy to forget that our faith, life and experiences are all the green lights we need” (90).