Let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 ESV
What usually first calls our attention to the
flock of geese, is their “honking.” We
hear their honking and then look up and try to find them. Because of how sound travels and the altitude at
which geese fly, it is difficult to determine which ones are doing the honking.
Engineers and scientists, who made other
discoveries about the geese, also discovered that the honking comes from the
rear of the formation. Further research
showed that the geese in front do not look back to see the number or condition
of the geese following. The honking from
the rear lets the lead goose know the flock is behind them and ready to
help. They use the honking as
encouragement to move on. Notice I said “Honking” not “Squawking!” We can learn
another lesson from this action.
As we notice others taking a leadership role,
no matter how minor or major, we can encourage others by doing a little
“Honking.” There is something extremely
encouraging and motivating about hearing the support of others with similar
goals. Why do you think sports teams
have developed cheerleaders and pep squads? Why is there such a thing as “home field
advantage?” Little league players and
high school stars are greatly encouraged by those who cheer them on.
“exhort
one another, and build each other up.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 11-13
One of the most interesting men in American
history is Andrew Carnegie. He was well
known for his development of the steel industry in Pittsburgh PA, in the late
1800s, but maybe his greatest talent was the “development of people.” He explained his philosophy, by saying, “Developing people is a lot like mining for
gold. When you mine for gold, you move literally tons of dirt, looking for the
gold, but you are not looking for the dirt, you are looking for the gold. In
developing people, you look for the GOOD. That is the GOLD! When you find it,
you nurture it and bring it to fruition”. This philosophy of developing
others is true whether you are promoting the development of children or
Christians. When will we learn that more can be accomplished by “complimenting
the good” than by “criticizing the bad.”
Sometimes this encouragement, development or
support comes in the form of a public acknowledgement of appreciation. This might be referred to as “public honking.”
It can also come in the form of a private acknowledgement; maybe something as
simple as a handshake or hug and saying “Thank you for what you did.” Some of us have difficulty in verbally
expressing our true feelings. In this
case a simple card or note of appreciation, mailed or handed to the person in
private, would work wonders in their life. This form of encouragement might be referred
to as “private honking.”
Have you ever stopped to consider that we were
made to praise? God made us to praise
and “encourage” Him! He created angels
made for the purpose of praising and glorifying Him but desires the voluntary
praise of His people far above that.
Years ago there was a bumper sticker that showed up on many automobiles
which said, “Honk if you love Jesus!” It
really seemed like such a good idea but created some chaos when people forgot
they had it on their car and became rather “unchristian” when people were
honking at them! It’s still a good idea
to “Honk if you love Jesus” but we need to do our own “honking.” We need to show the humility of gratitude in
private prayer to our Lord, thanking him for all the things He has done and
continues to do for us.
Hopefully, we would never confuse the
magnitude of what God has done, with the comparatively insignificant impact
made by the leaders among us. That is
not to say we shouldn’t be appreciative of those leaders. Like the “poor widow” found in Luke 21:1-4, we are not judged by what we do or
what we have, but what we do with what we have. If we have followed lesson 2 from the geese,
we will be empathic of the person now in the leadership position and know how
much help a little encouragement can provide.
Scripture
to Claim:
So then let us pursue what makes for
peace and for mutual upbuilding. Romans
14:19 ESV
