Not Far

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question. Mark 12:28-34 

There s something about being near those we love. The sounds of their laughter and conversation in the kitchen, the simple words and playful ways, seems to make everything brighter. In the deepest of winters, when the warms days seem far off, to be nestled close, snug tight inside with loving family, is the closest to being in the presence of God. 

A serious scribe drew close to Jesus. He had observed how well Jesus answered the religious leaders who wanted to trip him up. He  drew away from the arguments of the day and asked Jesus what was most important. Love of God and neighbor was the answer. And with that answer, Jesus also named the man as being close to God. The man honored love of God and love of neighbor. If we want to be close to God, we must simply love God and love our neighbor. Daily.

Today, I ask God to help me draw near to God by loving God and loving my neighbors. May we all keep our tasks simple as this. We will love God and love our neighbors every day, in every possible moment.