Lessons From Geese
Sermon by Dr. Robert McNeish, 1972.
‘But ask the animals, and they will teach you,or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know,that the hand of the Lord has done this?’
The Bible. Job 12:7-9
Have you ever wondered why geese fly in V formation? As with most animal behavior, God had a good reason for including that in their instincts. As each bird flaps it wings, it creates uplift for the bird following. In a V formation, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone. Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation.[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]Like geese, people who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier than those who try it alone.[/perfectpullquote]When a goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.If people had as much sense as these geese, they would realize that ultimately their success depends on working as a team, taking turns doing the hard tasks and sharing the leadership.Geese in the rear formation honk to encourage those up front to up their speed. It is important that our ‘honking’ from behind be encouraging. Otherwise, it is just honking.When a goose gets sick or wounded, two other geese drop out of formation two other geese follow it down to help and to provide protection. They stay with the unhealthy member of the flock until it is either able to fly again or dies. They then launch out again with another passing flock or try to catch up with their own.May we be so sacrificial that we may be worthy of such friends in our time of need. We don’t have to be scientists to learn from God’s marvelous creation; you need only stop long enough to observe and let God reveal his wonders to you.
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Reflections from Rukmini Walker: