THE GEESE STORY

Genesis 2:18
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

It’s amazing how much we can learn by observing what God has built into His creation. All of His creatures “relate” in some way to all of the others. Interpersonal relationships are a key aspect of life as a human being. From the beginning God spoke this fact. It was repeated centuries later as Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, emphasizing that we are all members of the same body.

Geese function in relationship. They increase their flying range by flying in their “V” formation. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the pack and another goose flies the point. Geese honk from behind to encourage those in front to keep up the pace. The followers cheer the leaders on. When a goose falls out of the formation, two other geese follow it down and provide help and support. They stay until the goose either recovers or dies.

We as people are so smart that we’ve figured out ways in which to succeed in isolation and competition. Imagine what we could accomplish if we were as artless as a flock of geese.