The goose was all on his own. He was honking loudly, flapping his wings and flying fast. It looked and sounded to me as if he had fallen behind the others and was trying to catch up. As I watched him up in the sky it didn’t seem right that a bird like that was all alone.

As geese migrate they do it together. The impressive V formations soar across the sky. Their communication to one another is purposeful. They fly with organized precision as they travel together.

It is a long journey for those geese, many of them going from Alaska to California. What helps them have success on the journey is doing it the way God made them to do it: Doing it together.

Like the geese, we do our journey through life better when we do it together. Too often, though, we are like that solo goose. We are working hard and making noise. Trying to catch up and keep up wears us out. We are not sure if we will get to the right spot and we are carrying all the burden on our own.

The geese save energy by flying in formation. They honk to help them stay in formation and keep going the right direction.

We too find strength and save energy when we go through life in healthy relationships with others. We may think we can find our way through life on our own. The truth is, however, by ourselves we get tired and we go off course. We need one another for encouragement and direction.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage on another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” It can be tempting to want to fly solo. Other people frustrate us with all their “honking.” But the journey is long and often difficult. We need others to spur us on and encourage us.

God looked at Adam, before He created Eve, and said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper sutiable for him” (Genesis 2:18). That verse does not mean everybody ought to be married, but it does declare a truth about the human condition. It is not good for anybody to be alone and without good, healthy friendships. We need to be in relationships with other people; sharing our joys and our sorrows. We support each other and encourage one another. We help each other to find the way.

“God sets the lonely in families” (Psalm 68:6). Some have good, healthy biological families and, sadly, some don’t. Each person, however, can take hold of the promise that God wants to set each of us in His family. God wants each person to be in a congregation where the Word of God is taught and Jesus is worshipped. Traveling through life as part of an encouraging, loving congregation has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. It is great we do not have to fly alone. Joy is found as we join with Jesus and His family on this journey.