“Almost only counts in horseshoes”. If you haven’t said that phrase, you’ve heard it. Horseshoe 101: 3 ways to score points; 1) a ringer (get the shoe around the peg) 2) a leaner (shoe leans against the peg-rare) 3) the closest to the peg within the shoe width. So you can score by “almost” getting a ringer. Sooo, almost only counts in horseshoes. I think Jesus may have played horseshoes. Google tells me horseshoes were around long before Jesus and in Jesus’ day they were probably leather straps. So maybe playing horseshoes was out, but the idea of “almost” was certainly in Jesus’ mind when to the Pharisee, who just agreed the most important commandments are to love God and your neighbor, Jesus said this: “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” [Mark 12:34] That sounds like “you’re almost there”. You see this guy gets it, at least the idea of it. But the kingdom is about the heart. And until what you know makes its way to the heart (the place where we are transformed by grace) then it’s just head knowledge and you’re “almost” in the kingdom. To be honest, I’m slow sometimes making that trip from head to heart. You see I know God is in control, always present, always good but my heart says “this may be something to worry about”. “Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, clear the way for what I know to be true and give me a heart of faith and trust!” That’s a “ringer!”
- PK

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