Leaving a Legacy that Lasts, {a book excerpt and giveaway with Bob Goff!}
Hey Friends! Happy New Year! I just love getting to share a bit of Bob Goff’s whimsy on my podcast to celebrate the New Year! Be sure to catch our convo here. Bob also offered to share an excerpt from his new book: “Catching Whimsy: 365 Days of Possibility” and a book giveaway here! Hope you enjoy the excerpt below, then leave a quick comment at the bottom, and you’ll be entered to win a copy of this beautiful and inspiring book!
BE THE KINDNESS, BE THE HOPE, BE THE COOKIES—LEAVING A LEGACY THAT LASTS
When we have guests coming over, Sweet Maria will whip up a batch of cookies or scones and pop them in the oven. There is nothing that says you are welcome more than something baking in the oven. The aroma of caramelizing, artery-clogging, heart-stopping sugar wafts down the hallways in the house and into every room.
We could wreck this picture by talking about the science of smells and benzene rings that are small and light enough to travel through air, but who cares, right? It is rarely information we need; it’s inspiration we crave. It is the aroma of the cookies, not the explanation of science, that welcomes us.
Kindness, empathy, and curiosity about another’s life experience is all part of what the Scriptures call the aroma of Christ. These things have the ability to fill the room with Jesus and fill our sometimes-weary hearts. These are the ingredients from which we build the bonds of deeper friendships and memorable experiences.
It isn’t lost on me that Jesus was the most famous person ever to walk the earth, yet He was almost always available. He no doubt had a long list of big things to accomplish in His three years of living a very public life, like rescuing everyone who would ever live from an eternity of isolation from God. It included small tasks as well, like telling someone on the fringe of society they, too, were in the center of His radical acceptance.
But most of the time, Jesus was surrounded by people who would do anything to be anywhere close to Him. They stood at the doors He walked by, dropped in through roofs He was standing under, and pressed in on Him from all sides, yet this didn’t make Him shy away from people. Instead, He took an interest in a centurion’s sick servant, noticed a woman who grabbed a small corner of His shirt when He walked by, and engaged a short guy named Zacchaeus who climbed a tree just to get a peek at Him.
The key to being intentionally available is to decide in advance what it is we want to be available to. We can be like Jesus and use our availability to engage incredibly important and lasting things, which will impact countless lives in the short time we are given this side of heaven, or we can make ourselves constantly available to mind-numbing distractions, petty grievances, passing fancies, and unimportant arguments. Think about it. Being intentional about what and who we decide to be available to will be one of the best predictors of the legacy we will leave behind.
We all have a limited period of time here on earth. When yours is coming to a close, what will you leave behind? Have you ever noticed how some candles have a better smell when they are extinguished than when they are lit? In the same way, our legacy will be the aroma of Christ we leave in the world after we cross through heaven’s veil. The most important things we hand down to the generations to come won’t be cash; they will be how and who we loved.
Countless selfish, selfless, and unnoticed choices combine to create our legacy. Minimize your selfish choices. Don’t settle for passing along a 401k or an old car or a painting or an heirloom. Pass along character, compassion, tenacity, and curiosity. Your life well lived will give context for the next generation to live an even more meaningful one.
Let’s get practical. Make a couple of videos today for the ones you love, or start writing a book about your experiences and what you’ve learned along the way. Interview people on the family tree and get their unique angle on what it means to be part of your family. Hide messages of hope and encouragement everywhere in your house. Put them in cracks in the walls and in crackerjack boxes in the pantry. And, more important than all of this, leave behind a legacy of love and faith and Jesus.
Who can you call today to spread the aroma of Christ? What handwritten note can you drop in the mail? What kind word can you give to someone who needs to receive one? Be part of the generation that commends God’s works to another and tells them about God’s mighty acts. Don’t wait another day to start leaving the evidence everywhere.
I’ve never met a cookie I didn’t get along famously with, as the aroma reminds me that I am in the vicinity of revisiting joy once again. Let’s be that for other people. Let’s stop settling for just being the teacher but instead be the kindness, be the hope, be the cookies—be the aroma of Christ.
Adapted from Catching Whimsy: 365 Days of Possibility by Bob Goff. Copyright © 2024 by BobGoff. Published by Thomas Nelson. Available wherever books are sold.
Leave a comment below to be entered to win a COPY Of Catching Whimsy!
Tell us: What is one way you would like to be the aroma of Christ in 2025? Share something you hope to do, or a trait you want to work on to bless those around you in the New Year!
I will choose two winners at the end of the day on Tuesday, January 7th. I’ll shoot the winners an email then and announce them back here as well!
Be more patient and intentional with my boys!
Great episode! Looking forward to reading this book!
This podcast was so much fun to listen to! Bob Goff was absolutely hilarious and kept me in stitches! Thank you for a wonderful podcast.
I am raising two young boys and I am always reading books and listening to podcasts to get help and encouragement for raising godly men.
Looking to catch whimsy in this new year that will ignite joy and inspire curiosity in myself, my family and everyone I encounter. Thankful for Bob and his gift that he shares with the world!
I would like to be the aroma of Christ through generosity and purposeful listening. I love to bake bread and make meals so sharing that with new moms or sick church members is one way I hope to continue to do that. I also have 5 kids, 2 high schoolers who will be leaving home before I know it, and I just want to make sure I take the time to really listen to them and hear from them where they are instead of rushing through my day and to do list.
Really enjoyed listing to Bobs fun stories!! He’s funny and knowledgeable.
I walk around full of joy almost everywhere I go, as an intentional reflection of Christ. But transparently, need to do better in my own home! I hope by the end of the year my kids see Jesus even more in me, and that their desire for Him grows because of it.
I want to be able to parent/teach in a way that shows Jesus to my children.
His excerpt gave words to what I have been wanting… To be intentionally available. To some, it comes easily, and to others, myself included, being available and open to whatever needs my family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, neighbors, etc, sounds exhausting. But, as I strive to show others Jesus and make disciples, I find myself longing to embrace making myself available. Having the uncomfortable conversations. Showing emotion. And ultimately helping others desire to know Jesus.
I want to put in more intentional effort with my young children and people I meet in passing (at the store, at our co- op, at a coffee shop, etc.) this last year was very full and very overwhelming at times and it has been easy to become withdrawn as a means of coping but the Lord has been calling me out of that and reading this helped to re-affirm that. Love Bob Goff as a speaker and an author!
I want to be the aroma of Christ in how I exemplify Jesus’ love as I teach what that is. It’s my goal for this spring semester that my kids both see that in me and know how to live it out themselves.
I want to do life more intentionally- this starts with being the aroma of Christ. 🙂
Wanted to add- being available like Jesus was. ☺️
I would love to just open my house up more. Let moms come over and let their kids run wild, have a grand time and not have to worry about cleaning up the mess afterwards. A place to find conversation, encouragement, snacks and a good cup of coffee or tea. I also want to be better about praying for people in the moment. Not waiting until later by myself, but to pray right then and there with them so they know I mean it when I ask “Can I pray for you?”
I love this Alexis!! Thank you for commenting! And…YOUR NAME was chosen as a winner of Bob’s book!! Please email me your mailing address and Bob’s team will send a book your way! 🙂 XO
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I recently read the CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) version of Jesus’s sermon on the mount. I sat glued to the words in chapter 5, “You are the salt FOR the land” and “you are the light FOR the world.” Those fors bring a whole new meaning to Jesus’s words. Yes, He said that I am the salt and light of the world, but FOR the world is a different experience. Salt and Light in the world is one thing, but He created us to be Salt and Light for a world He knew would desperately need His aroma as Bob puts it. In 2025, I want to be the Salt and Light for my little corner of the world and know I was made for this.
I hope to grow in patience this year. I loved when Bob reminded us that Jesus talked to others with stories. Stories take time & they’re not rushed. I want to take time to listen to others stories & not be rushed to the next thing on my list.
Thank you for your podcast, it has been a great blessing in my life & I always look forward to listening!
In 2025 I hope to show those around me a life of gratitude. Gratitude for all of the wonderful ways God has blessed me and my family.
For the new year, I am wanting to be a brighter light to those around me by having a more gentle response not only to my coworkers but also my kids. I want to really listen and not jump to conclusions. Everyone has their own story and I want to look more from others’ perspective and focusing less on my own motives. Thank you for this resource! You have been uplifting to listen to over the years in my motherhood journey!
My theme this year is All About Jesus. I want to do everything with eternity in mind. Marriage, parenting, homeschooling, hospitality,etc
Hi, Monica! I’ve been listening to your podcast for just shy of a year now and have been incredibly blessed by it! Loved the podcast with Bob Goff and grateful to be considered for a copy of his book! Thank you for sharing your love for Christ with us all!
Thank you so much Chapell! And congrats!! Your name was drawn to win a copy of Bob Goff’s book! Please email me your mailing address and Bob’s team will send you a book! 🙂
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I want to spend the special time homeschooling my 1st grade boy not so much on curriculum, but on loving others in action. We have been using Bob’s book “Love Does for Kids” as our morning journaling inspiration and he has inspired both of us to get out and love people by SHOWING them love, not just by telling them. My son wants to visit the animal shelters, retirement home and he also got to pick a boy with his same birthday to sponsor through Compassion International. He is excited to write him letters and bless his family with money he has saved.
I’d like to show more hospitality by having people over for meals more often.
I want to bring up Jesus in more everyday conversations with neighbors, friends, family, and colleagues.
I want my children to see Christ in and through me. I need to be more intentional this year in sharing and living Christ with them.
I want to be the kind of Christian woman that holds people close more than she holds people accountable, the develops a tendency to always be curious about the people around me and doesn’t take life too seriously! We’re going to heaven soon anyway! Loved the podcast. Thank you!!
In 2025, I want to work on loving well. Loving God well and loving others well. Loving and serving God in those around me especially my family and loved ones. If I can be remembered for anything when I’m gone, I hope that it’s for how I loved those close to me. And when I hope by God’s mercy and grace to make it to heaven someday, I hope that He says that I have loved well.
I want to bless my children more and show them love through their individual love languages!
I want to be more patient with an adult family member and I want to develop all the relationships in my life this year. Most importantly my relationship with Jesus.
Aroma of Christ…hmm, honestly my brain is struggling to get around that concept. My simplest answer for 2025 goals is to choose intentionally for my family instead of sleepwalking thru the habits we have. slowing down and thinking, noticing and being with each other…hopefully creating better habits that serve our family as a result 🤷♀️
I want to show more love and understanding and patience and, well, all the things, to my teens.
Bob is so inspiring. I’m glad he’s still out spreading joy and whimsy!
I want to be more patient and easygoing as my teenage children pass into adulthood so they learn to rely on their God-given consciences more. Trusting God and leading by example is my intention.
One way i would like to be the aroma of Christ in 2025 is to go deeper in my friendships and to be a mentor to teen girls. I’m praying for opportunities.
I received a kindness bucket list. It contains 52 cards for acts of kindness. I am going to be intentional and share this with my son.
I’m still deciding on my word of the year between Sparkle and Rejoice. It was exciting to see that you choose Rejoice. I need more happiness & joy in my life and both of those words hopefully will help me see it and respond to the good things including those people around me that I love.
I want to be a better example to my children on how to live for and like Christ. Read my Bible and Pray more.
REJOICE in the Lord ALWAYS – spreading and sharing absolute confidence of God’s involvement and goodness in all things! 🌟
Sounds like a great book, full of inspiration! I hope to spend more time with my family. Even though we homeschool, we are currently slaves to our screens (screen detox starts in 4 days). But we are planning more meals around the table, ping pong games, and puzzles over the winter! More time = more conversations = Deuteronomy 6 ❤️