God’s Geese
A MAN BY THE NAME of Bob didn't believe much in God and was quick to let anyone know. His wife, however, was a believer and raised their children to have faith in God.
One snowy Christmas Eve, Bob's wife and children pleaded with him to go with them to church. He refused. "Christmas is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to earth as a man?" So his wife and children left, and Bob stayed home.
A while later, as the wind howled outside, Bob relaxed in front of the fireplace. Suddenly he heard loud honking noises. He looked out the window, but the blinding snow hindered his view, so he went outside to see what was going on.
In the field by the barn, Bob found several wild geese that had gotten separated from their flock. They had lost their bearings in the snow and were wandering around aimlessly.
Bob knew the geese wouldn't last long in the storm. They needed a shelter where they could stay until the wind and snow stopped. He opened the barn doors and waited for the geese to go in, but they stayed in the field.
Bob got behind the geese and tried to shoo them into the barn, but this only scared them. He then got grain and laid a trail on the ground to the barn door. But the geese still would not go in.
All of Bob's efforts to help had failed. He realized the geese would never follow a man and thought, "If only I were a goose, I could save them." Then he had an idea. He went into the barn, picked up one of his geese, carried it outside, and set it down behind the wild geese. When he released his goose, it flew through the flock and straight into the barn. One by one the wild geese followed it to safety.
He stood silently for a moment, considering what he had just thought: "If only I were a goose, I could save them." Then he remembered what he had said earlier to his wife: "WHY WOULD GOD LOWER HIMSELF TO COME TO EARTH AS A MAN?"
Suddenly, it all made sense. Mankind was like those geese: blind, lost, and perishing. GOD SENT HIS SON TO BECOME LIKE US SO HE COULD SAVE US. Now Bob understood what Christmas was all about and why Jesus Christ had come.
Bob fell to his knees in the snow and prayed, "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of a storm of sin!"
—Author Unknown
Have the howling winds and storms of life caused you to lose your way? Are you struggling just to get by? There is someone ready to help you. Receive God's wonderful gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. This Christmas, GIVE YOURSELF THE BEST GIFT YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED BY MAKING JESUS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD.
If you are ready to get out of the storm of sin, pray the following from your heart:
God,
I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I admit that I am not right with you. And I want to be right with You. The Bible says if I confess with my mouth "Jesus is Lord" and believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, I will be saved (Rom. 10:9). I believe in my heart that You did raise Jesus from the dead, and I confess that He is my Lord and Savior. Thank You for the greatest Christmas ever!
If you prayed this for the first time, welcome to God's family! Email us at [email protected] or call us at 1-800-54-FAITH (543-2484) and let us know about it. We'd love to send you some free materials to get you started in your new life as God's child!