“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.”— John 14:1
Geese are some of the most trusting creatures I have seen.
In our town, geese are common sights around the many lakes and ponds. I listen in rapture after the snow melts as a chorus of honking geese wake up the sleepy winter lake, harbingers of spring. I watch yellow fuzzy babies waddle after their parents and downy gray adolescents pick grass with their bills, standing on their stick-like legs. But in the summer time, you see other signs of geese. Not just green goose poop in parks, but scads of these feathered creatures hanging out near roads.
I can usually tell when geese are nearby, as there is an unnatural slowing down of traffic. I crane my neck to see, and yes siree, I can see the snaky black neck with white chin patch showing itself between car bumpers. Yesterday I noticed the traffic slowing and a bunch of geese on the curbside. All it takes is one. One brave soul who steps a careful webbed foot off the curb onto the asphalt. The strange thing is there is no urgency in their movement. I watched a goose leisurely ambling across a busy road, taking its time, plodding slowly along, as if it was window shopping on Madison Avenue. Despite my behemoth car breathing hot gassy fumes and noisy engine sounds just inches from its body, it wandered slowly in front of my grill. Surely it would have noticed squashed bugs on my grill and wondered about its own fate. But no. It acted like it had all the time in the world. And the worst part was—-once its buddies saw how nice a driver I was and that I didn’t squash their friend, they gently bounced off the curb and began to follow after it. I slowly inched forward, hoping the geese would move faster, but in the end, I just waited like everyone else.
I marvel that in the face of real danger, the geese are so calm. I think of my own life and how little things can raise my anxiety level, and I long to have the calmness of the goose. They seem so trusting of motorists, although I am sure that trust has been broken by other impatient people who do plow through their leisurely ambulations.
The wonderful thing is we can have this calmness in the face of challenges. “Fight or flight” may kick in, but inwardly we can be calm. And God can provide this. It all comes down to trust. Jesus reassures His disciples in the text above to trust in Him. He tells them He will be leaving soon, but to not let their hearts be troubled. Jesus gives us this same reassurance—-trust Him. Trust Him with your job. Trust Him with your family. Trust Him with your relationships. Trust Him with your very being and ultimately with your life. As we learn to trust more and more, we can find the necessary calm in all we do. So this week, let us all be as calm as geese, trusting in Jesus to be with us always!
Prayer–“God, my heart sometimes feels troubled, so I pray to trust you. Help me to trust you in all things. Thank you for being with me always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Prayer For All Days 