When geese are flying south in formations we usually hear them coming because they are honking. But they are not honking so we can hear them coming. The Geese in the back honk at the ones in the front to encourage them to keep up their speed.
James 3:13-18 who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
Like the geese, I have been doing a lot of honking lately. The geese honk for encouragement yet I wish I could say that’s what I have been honking about. I’ve been honking a lot at the leaders. Yet more encouragement and less discouragement are needed in some churches today.
Your actions and your words of encouragement mean more than you will ever know. Those who are leading will lead better, and be more excited about leading the more you encourage. There are lots of leaders in our church and they all need your encouragement.
Another thing that geese do that Christians can learn from is, if one of the other geese gets sick or wounded, two of the others will drop out of the group to care for it. And they stay with it until it gets well or dies. And the ones that drop out to care for the sick are not the ones who have the responsibility of leading the flock.
We are God’s army, so why is the army that is supposed to be built on the love of God the only one that shoots it’s wounded. If someone does something wrong instead of trying to support them, and help those to get back to where they were, a lot of Christians make them outcasts?
There are people who have quit going to church because they have heard someone in the church talking about them, when they should have been talking to them.
People who are struggling with problems in their life and in their obedience to God need encouragement not discouragement. People who are being hit in the face from everywhere else need love from the people that are supposed to be their family. They need support not disappointment.
We are to encourage those that who are down or who have suffered, even if they brought a lot of it on themselves. (Amen!) If they don’t want to be restored to the church we have no choice but to let them go. But we have a responsibility to reach out and try to heal those of our own that have been hurt or wounded. Even those that have wounded themselves, Jesus gave you a second chance, and He gives you many more chances every day, don’t you think he would want you to give others the same chance.
Another interesting thing about a formation of geese is, if the lead goose is shot down the rest of the flock will follow it to the ground.
If you are a leader you better realize two things:
1. If you fall others will fall with you.
2. You don’t become a leader by receiving a title you become a leader by giving of yourself to others, and being responsible for what you have been put in charge of.
I have to remind myself of that all the time and I don’t always live up to it like I want to, but it is never from lack of trying.
Geese get from Canada to the coast every year for one reason; they work as a unit and not as individuals. What affects one of them affects all of them. They work together, they share the load, they stay in formation, they share the load, they care for the wounded, and they encourage each other.
We need to imitate this behavior or our goose is cooked!
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