Hearing and following

John 10 : 22 - 30

...they follow me...

Hearing Jesus' voice and following closely will lead us to ...........I think the answer we would like is "good times, success, in short, all the blessings we hope for". But I seriously wonder.......after all, Jesus' own footsteps led to the Cross......and if we truly follow, might that not be our path as well (at least at some points in the journey)? It's not the simple equation of right path equals blessing. Not any more, once we have followed him for some time. We begin to realize that he does lead to "still waters" but he also does not always snatch us from the "valley of the shadow of death".

So following Jesus is not a step to be taken lightly, or just for the obvious 'benefits'. There is a cost involved, however much we would prefer "blue skies and everything nice".

We hear and follow, trusting in the One who has not left us alone - not in the best of circumstances and certainly never in the worst of times. From this side of the resurrection, we understand what hearing and following really requires of us. A spiritual companion reminded me the other day that during the Easter season, we come back to the Gospel readings from the vantage point of the Resurrection - we ask to 'see' and to 'know deeply' what we may not have seen before. We understand Jesus' life as a whole, and ours as well. Our stories are given new meaning, all parts of them, dark and light, are part of the bigger canvas the Lord has painted with his life, passion and resurrection.