“When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.” ~ Mark 16:9

We both cradled a hot cup, mine filled with coffee and hers filled with tea. The conversation had taken a dive into the deep, and the warm cup felt reassuring in my hands. We were discussing church leadership, particularly a few who had fallen off their pedestals. It was a difficult discussion to have. Raised in the church, we both struggled to understand how the worst could happen. As adults who wrestled our own demons, we understood only too well that we weren’t immune to making the same kinds of mistakes. This was part of the tension hanging in our conversation. What could we do to make sure we didn’t fall to the same fate?

“I know I have to stay as close to Jesus as possible.” She said it simply, and I doubt she realized the profundity of her words. “If I take even one small step away from him, or start to get the least bit complacent, I’m a goner. I know that about myself. So, I stay close. That’s the only way I keep myself from getting into trouble.”

I can almost hear Mary of Magdala saying something similar. Simple, but life giving. Life PRESERVING. Delivered from seven demons who taunted her day and night, I believe she knew she couldn’t afford to be even inches away from Jesus. And for that reason she traveled with him, cared for his needs and the needs of those in their group, stood vigil at the cross when he died (John 19:25), and arrived early at the tomb the day he rose (John 20:1).

She understood the danger of distance.

Do you? Do I? Do we understand the risk we take when we start to get too busy for time with Jesus? Do we recognize what we expose our hearts and souls to when we aren’t filling our voids with the sweetness of Him? In the absence of Goodness, evil abounds. In the absence of Light, darkness thrives.

Don’t let either have an inch.