Go To The Geese

Pay any attention at all to the sky in the Spring and Fall seasons and you will see flocks of geese flying in formation overhead. They fly in the familiar V pattern, and their honking can be heard for miles.

When King Solomon wrote, “Go to the ant, you sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise” (Prov. 6:6), he was telling us to let the animal kingdom teach us spiritual lessons.
What can we learn if we “go to the geese”?

1. It is said that geese fly in a V formation because each bird in the string creates an “uplift” for the bird following, making it possible for the bird to travel 70% further than it could if it flew alone.

We can apply this principle to our lives. Don’t we all need the “lifting power” of association with others? People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

It has been said that “giving” is the way of God and that “getting” is the way of man. But really, in union with Christ, giving and getting are one and the same. As we “fly” along through life, we “get” the benefit of the lifting power of those ahead of us and “give” our own thrust to those behind us. In Christ, that which is spontaneously done for others will always be personally fulfilling; and when we act in true self-interest, realizing our ultimate ambitions and potential, we will inevitably find ourselves serving others.

2. If a goose falls out of formation, it feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others. We can often weaken and fall out of formation with the ways of God. This inevitably creates a “drag” on our journey as the consequences of our fall out pile up and show us our truly weak condition and the need to get back into formation (the Bible calls it “transformation”).

3. When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose takes the lead. No one bird is always in the lead.

We need to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. We don’t need to always be the front runner. Sharing the lead, sharing the responsibilities is better for all of us. None of us is “the boss”, but we all need to be willing at times to accept our share of the responsibility, to buck the headwinds of criticism and help those who are following.

4. The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

Is our honking always encouraging to those who hear it? Where there is loving, Christ-like encouragement, there is peace and harmony, and production is greater. Everyone benefits. The power of encourage­ment (to stand by one‘s core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

5. When a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. The geese will stay with the disabled goose until it is able to fly or dies, then they will launch out to join another formation or catch up with the flock.

Are we as concerned with the problems of others as are the geese? Do we take time out to be with others in trouble and difficult times? We are called to be “our brother’s keepers”.

6. It is said that the most characteristic feature of the geese is their closely knit family life. Geese mate for life, and the little goslings are faithfully tended by both parents. The family migrates as a unit to and from the winter grounds, the young remaining with their parents until the beginning of the new breeding season.

If we go to the geese, as Solomon told us to “go to the ant”, we learn that marriage is for life and that we must work together, teaching our children in the ways of Christ and doing everything in our power to keep the family unit intact.

The next time you look up and see a flock of geese flying in the V formation and hear their familiar honk, thank your Heavenly Father that in His wisdom He is teaching you to take lessons from these lowly creatures. Our Lord has told us: "Behold the fowls of the air: for they don‘t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?” (Matt. 6:26).
Yes, go to the geese, consider their ways, AND BE WISE!

[Back to Home]