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So Close, and Yet so Far
So Close, and Yet so Far
Growing up, when I played sports with my dad and lost by a hair, I’d say, “I was so close!” He’d respond, “So close, and yet so far!” How frustrating! In middle school, I was assigned a seat next to the girl of my dreams, but I wasn’t in hers at all. I was so close to her, and yet so far.
In Luke 15, the prodigal young son took his father’s inheritance and “went on a journey into a distant country.” (Luke 15:13). He lived far from his father, physically and emotionally, until he woke up and came home. When he returned, we learn he had a prodigal older brother who stayed close to his father physically, but not emotionally. He stayed home, but his heart was in a distant country (cf. Matthew 15:8). “He became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.” (15:28). He was so close, yet so far from his father. He knew nothing of his father’s grace or love. Only duty (15:29). We may do a lot of religious things for God, but if we don’t know His grace or love, we’ll only ever be so close to Him, and yet so far.
