Now I'll admit - I love a good wedding as much as any girl who has been planning her own wedding since she was 10. But it was slightly hot and humid outside, and my mind was tending to wander during this lovely event. (Sorry sis, but its true!) However, when the officiant began talking about geese, I started listening. Wait a minute - did I miss something? What is this about geese? Isn't this a wedding?...
Tuning back in, here's what the pastor was saying -
Geese always fly in a flock. They create a routine - they fly south for winter, come back north in summer. They fly the same route every year, often stopping at the same places season after season. As they fly in their famous "V" formation, the geese in the back honk at the geese in the front, encouraging them on. Point #1 - in your marriage, it is important to always fly together, staying on the same side, and to always communicate with each other, "honking" encouragement at each other through the tough times. Ok... he really had my attention now.
Moving on with this analogy, the pastor began talking about what happens when a goose gets injured or sick and must separate from the rest of the group. Geese fly by a strict "no man left behind" philosophy. If one goose falls back, two other geese always join it, and stay with it until it is ready to catch up to the rest of the flock. Now, the pastor made a point of saying that geese mate for life, and one of the two geese that stay behind with the injured goose is almost always its mate. But who is the lucky goose that gets to play third wheel to this happy couple? Point #2 - Now, of course the whole "mate-for-life" scenario is a point. Marriage is intended by our great Father to last forever. And its supposed to be hard work, but to also be rewarding. We, as the geese in nature, are also supposed to mate for life. But that is not what I found so moving about this scenario.
Moving on to point #3 - Now that third goose might just be the male goose's best friend, or the wifey goose's mama, but in the great analogy that the pastor drew, he made this connection - GOD is the third goose. When your marriage faces tough times and one or both of you have to fall back, you're never left alone. There is always that third goose there, watching over you, encouraging you to get well and get back in the flight. God is an integral part of any marriage, and without Him, most marriages are doomed to failure.
That analogy (surprisingly enough) really spoke to my heart. Even though I spent Friday evening celebrating Andrea and Jon, Friday during the day I spent celebrating a year with A. It hasn't been easy, and anyone who knows our situation knows that it won't get any easier, but I'm beginning to fully realize how important it is for us to find ourselves a Christian community to get involved with. Because when it comes down to it, no matter how much we love each other, no matter how much I enjoy his company and we make each other laugh, without a firm foundation, we WILL fail. So.... I'm making a promise to myself to put more effort into finding us a place to belong.
I guess I should thank Andrea, Jon, and their pastor for this epiphany. And I know I'll never look at geese flying in formation without being reminded of that happy goose couple and their third wheel. God, the other goose.
such a comforting thing to remember.
ReplyDeleteHe can be the third goose in any relationship.
:)
And should be :)
ReplyDelete