I am about halfway through the latest audio book by Bob Goff, “Love Does”.  While I have enjoyed the entire book so far, I found myself rewinding and listening to Chapter 18 again.  While in college, Goff would hitchhike across the country.  He says the cardinal rule is, “Don’t tell the person where you are going, instead ask where they are going.” This gives the hitchhiker time to size up the driver to determine if he or she seems safe and sane. 

While I won’t give away his story of a time that he didn’t follow the rule, suffice to say it was NOT a good experience. Turns out he had hitched a ride with Satan.  Yikes!

Goff tells us that even though he needed a ride to get somewhere, he still had a lot of power over who he would hitch a ride with.  He compares this to our lives.  We choose who we take this journey with.

Along the way, we become like the people we hang around. According to Goff, “We become connected together and influenced more than we think.”

This influence can be positive or negative. As in Goff’s experience, it is possible to choose the wrong companion.  To rectify this, he gives the following advice:

Sometimes it is our nature to give others too many chances.  While the bad ones DO need friends, according to Goff, it shouldn’t be you.

If we feel sad about this, Goff tells us that even Jesus did the same. Jesus didn’t give Satan any grace. He speaks the truth to him and tells him to go away.  “If Satan had come back saying he was sorry, that would be different, but of course he doesn’t and he won’t. ” says Goff.

Thankfully, most of us won’t be unlucky enough to hitch a ride with Satan, but Goff gives some final words of wisdom to help us to choose the people to do life with.

He says, “Some people learn to be altruistic and caring and some people don’t. You won’t always know right away in the makeup of the people you meet. What I’ve decided is a pretty good idea is to just ask people where they’re going before you get in with them. If they aren’t headed where you want to end up, just wait in the ice plant by the highway a little while longer.”

Great advice Mr. Goff!  It makes me think of the anonymous quote, “Stay close to people who make you feel like sunshine.” I wish you all more people like that in your lives!