A few years ago, my wife and I traveled to the Great Plains states. With the miles and miles to drive between destinations in this part of the country, we tried to stop often to enjoy the scenery, historical locations, and just to get out of the car and stretch.
At many stops, we saw wildflowers blooming among the parks, grasslands, and rolling hills. These were the sweet “icing on the cake” of the beauty around us.
One day we drove through the Badlands in South Dakota. The rocky terrain there is colorful, but not much grows here. Mostly just grass, enough to sustain the big horn sheep that live among the canyons. But on one short walk on a path through the barren landscape, we caught sight of something that looked very out-of-place. A single sunflower blooming alone in among the dirt and rocks.
A wondrous sight, completely unexpected but very welcome.
During the Passion Week in Jerusalem, a teacher of the law approached Jesus and asked him, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
All my heart. All my soul. All my mind. In both the abundant pastures and fertile times, and in the barrenness of what may surround me.
Love my neighbor as myself. Both when loving them is easy, and when loving them might go against what I feel like doing.
Remembering Jesus’ reply on the first and greatest commandment, and on the commandment equal to it means to me that there may be times the love I give may need to be different from how I am used to giving it. And the hope I offer may need to be more than the blooms among blooms, but the bloom that stands above the barrenness of fear.
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