“Give me your paw!”  

I can still hear my paternal Grandmother’s kind voice asking me, a pre-schooler, for my hand before crossing the road. I remember giggling when she said that and even today, I smile when I think of her affectionate words. Of course, I did as I was told because she was my Grandma and I trusted her.  

For most of us, obedience comes naturally and we don’t think much about it. For example, we instinctively obey the rules of the road. We adhere to (or should adhere to!) public health guidelines to keep us safe from Covid 19. As students, we follow the directions of our teachers. And so it goes.

At other times, obedience can be challenging.  Do we really have to follow the speed limit when other drivers are going so much faster? Are all the current public health directives really necessary and helpful? And as a former teacher, well I know how adolescents with growing independence and self-awareness like to push boundaries in the classroom.

We create guidelines and directives to protect us, to ensure a well-functioning society, and to prepare us as individuals to negotiate life’s opportunities successfully. Can you imagine, though, if your own father expected you to follow a course that would ultimately result in your death? It’s unfathomable. Yet, today’s scripture passage reflects this reality for Jesus. In following God, his Father, Jesus would die on the cross to atone for our sins—yours, mine, everyone’s. It was the ultimate unthinkable sacrifice.  

It was not easy for Jesus. His soul was troubled because he knew exactly what was to come. Still, Jesus trusted God — and obeyed. What Christ did for Lazarus, God would also do for Jesus. In turn, Jesus will do the same for us.  

Discerning and following God’s will can be difficult. Too often, we don’t even make the time or effort to pray and in so doing allow God into our lives. How can we follow God’s guidance if we do not give God a chance to speak to us? To be the Christians we are called to be, we must do as Christ did and follow God’s will. In these days of lockdown and restraint, there should be ample time for us to listen for what God is calling us to do.  

During this season of Lent, may we be as obedient and trusting as a little boy was with his Grandmother so many years ago. Today, let’s place a “paw” in the loving hand of God, listen for God’s word, trust it — and obey.

- Doug Flanders