Autumn Awe

I was walking outside the other day when I heard an unusual squawking, which was getting louder and louder. I recognized it as the sound of a gaggle of geese, so I stopped and waited for them to appear as they flew over, headed south for the winter. The experience was well worth the wait, considering it was the largest V formation I’ve ever seen! A very majestic uncommon sight.

God’s word tells us in many places to consider His handiwork of nature, whether looking at how the ants work, how the lilies and birds don’t worry, how you can identify a tree by its fruit, etc. As I contemplated the huge V formation of Canada geese, I thought about how even geese are smart enough to take a rest. They take turns being the point of the V and taking the exhausting headwind for the group, then return to rest in the draft of easier flying in a leg of the V. Together as a group, they fly more efficiently for a longer distance.

I was reminded by a passage from Mark 6:30-32: “The apostles gathered around Jesus. They told him all they had done and taught. But many people were coming and going. So they did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said to his apostles, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place. You need to get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a quiet place.”