Make Me a Goose

This morning on my drive into work, I saw a wonder in the sky above me. It was such an awesome sight that I had to pull over and get out of my car for a few moments so that I could gaze in amazement and fully take in the parade above me. Perhaps parade isn't the correct word; it was more like a symphony ... an orchestrated concerto of God's creation and handiwork. Set against a clear blue, cloudless sky, flying in perfect V formation was one of the largest groups of geese I have ever seen. I would estimate there to have been over 100 of the flying feathered fowl ... wafting on the wind, soaring through the sky, determined in their direction.

I've seen countless flying formations of geese over the years, but this group grabbed my attention and gave me pause to stop and watch, perhaps because of the sheer size of the flock ... or perhaps because once again, as has happened quite frequently over the last months, God was slowing me down ... causing me to look up ... teaching me a lesson. As I stood beside my car and shielded my eyes from the sun, I noticed something about the flying V that I hadn't seen at first glance. While the majority of the geese were completely in line and in sync with one another in their flight pattern, there were two of the feathered creatures who were flying together to the left of the group ... pretty far to the left, in fact, almost as if they weren't even part of the flock at all. I kept thinking they would rejoin the group, but they never did ... instead, they fell farther behind and flew farther away.

Returning to my car, my mind was racing and my heart was pounding ... there's nothing like a strong God lesson first thing in the morning to get your brain humming and your blood pumping. It struck me as I merged onto the interstate that it was the beauty of all those geese flying in formation that initially garnered my interest, but it wasn't until I stopped and looked up, really looked up, that I saw the two renegade geese flying on their own. And it also struck me that once my sight was focused on the two outsiders, I was mesmerized by them ... wondering what their story was ... how they ended up separated from the others and what was to become of them if they didn't rejoin the group.

After finishing up some early morning editing, I jumped on the Internet and Googled "geese formations" and "separated geese." What I discovered was nothing less than astounding to me ... the two geese who were flying alone probably weren't renegades or rebels at all. According to my limited research, there is documented evidence that when a goose becomes sick or injured and falls out of formation, another goose immediately leaves the group as well and stays with his ill comrade until he either recovers or passes on.

As I type this blog, my heart is heavy and convicted ... I get so caught up in my own stuff, my own busy life, my own worries that not only do I not leave the formation to help my suffering friend, I often don't notice that he or she is sick or troubled or injured. And honestly? Sometimes I don't even see when my friend leaves the flock and begins to drift toward the ground.

Make me a goose, Lord, a goose who cares more about others than about myself ... a goose who flies in formation with You ... a goose who sticks close by my family and friends when they need me most. Make me a goose, Lord ... please ... make me a goose.