Silly Goose

Read: Psalm 133

"You chose last time!” yelled Jill.

“I did not!” said Kelsey. “You did!”

“I guess I remember better than you.” Jill stomped over to the back porch and sat down. She and Kelsey were cousins, but they didn’t always get along very well.

Jill’s brother Theo came out and sat down next to her. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Another argument?”

“Kelsey is so bossy,” said Jill. “She never wants to do what I want to do.” She frowned as she glanced at Kelsey, who was walking toward the swing set.

Just then a line of wild geese, honking loudly, flew high overhead.

“I wonder what their problem is. They sound terrible!” said Theo. “Maybe one of them wanted to be the boss and butted its way to the front of the line.”

“Don’t they take turns being the leader?” asked Jill.

“They’re supposed to,” said Theo. “But maybe one of them was counting the number of times he had been the leader and decided he wasn’t getting his fair share of turns. So he tried to make them do things his way, and now all the other geese are honking at him.” He grinned at his sister. “Silly goose.”

They watched as the long line of geese separated into four lines, then merged into two. The honking became a bit quieter, and finally the two lines formed into one long V.

“I wonder which one got them to stop honking and work together peacefully,” said Theo. “It takes a real leader to get others to work well together. And it’s not about always doing things your way, but putting others before yourself. That’s the kind of leader Jesus was. Even though He’s King over everything, He became a servant and died for our sins—because that’s the only way we could have peace with God.”

Jill looked over to where Kelsey was swinging. That’s what I want to be—a leader, she thought. Not a silly goose.

She jumped up and walked over to the swing set. “Okay, Kelsey,” she said. “You can decide this time.” She smiled at her cousin. “Let’s stop honking at each other.”

–Lois A. Witmer

How about you? Do you always want others to do things your way? Do you try to take charge by fighting and forcing everybody else to do what you want? That’s not the kind of leader Jesus was. He put others ahead of Himself by sacrificing His life to bring us peace, and He wants us to live in peace with each other. Help others live in peace by doing what’s best for everyone, not just yourself. That’s the mark of a true leader.

Today's Key Verse: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (NIV) Ephesians 4:3

Today's Key Thought: Learn to get along with others