Escape

Editor’s Note: This article is excerpted from Chase the Goose, which is now available for purchase from the Threads store.

Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect.

Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit: An Geadh-Glas, or “the Wild Goose.” The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger and an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I can’t think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Holy Spirit through life. The truth is: Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. I know that’s unsettling, but circumstantial uncertainty goes by another name—adventure.

Have we clipped the wings of the Wild Goose and settled for something less than God intended? Are we missing out on what God created us to experience?

I realize the old adage “wild goose chase” typically refers to a purposeless endeavor without a defined destination. But chasing the Wild Goose is different. While the promptings of the Wild Goose may seem pointless at the time, God is constantly working His plan behind the scenes. If you chase the Wild Goose, you’ll find yourself in places you could never have imagined along paths you never knew existed.

Have you ever gotten stressed out trying to determine the will of God for your life? We try to determine God’s will like we try to solve puzzles, but often the will of God is neither linear nor logical. In Isaiah 55:8-9, God declares:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways … For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

I think it’s only fair that we post a “Wild Goose Warning” at the beginning of this study: Nothing is more unnerving or disorienting than passionately pursuing God. In good conscience, I can’t promise you safety or certainty, but I can promise that chasing the Wild Goose will be anything but boring. The sooner we come to terms with that spiritual reality, the more we will enjoy the journey.

Caged Christians

A few years ago, I visited the Galápagos Islands, where I experienced nature like I’d never experienced it before. I saw wild animals in their natural habitat—marine iguanas and 200-year-old Tortugas—and I went snorkeling with manta rays and swimming with sea lions. Two weeks later, I visited the National Zoo with my kids. We saw hundreds of interesting animals, but it just wasn’t the same. The National Zoo is a great zoo, but it’s a radically different experience to see a wild animal in a cage. It was too tame, too safe, and too civilized.

As we walked through the ape house, I wondered, Have churches done to people what zoos do to animals? Have churches tried to tame Christians in the name of Christ? I think so. We try to remove the risk, struggle, and danger from following Jesus, and we end up with caged Christians. Yes, it’s a safe and comfortable environment, but I think deep down inside of us there’s a longing for something more. That’s what the Wild Goose chase is all about—chasing after the Wild Goose in order to live our lives the way God originally intended.

In this study, we will identify six cages that keep us from living the spiritual adventure God designed for us.

1. The Cage of Responsibility. Our God-ordained passions can get buried beneath day-to-day responsibilities. The Wild Goose chase begins when we start practicing responsible irresponsibility and come to terms with our greatest responsibility—pursuing the passions God has planted in our hearts. In this session, we go to work with a guy named Nehemiah, who walked away from some pretty important job responsibilities in order to embrace more important responsibilities.
2. The Cage of Routine. At some point in our journey, most of us trade adventure for routine. Some routines, like spiritual disciplines, can be good and actually help us become the people God intended. But if sacred practices become routine, they need to be disrupted and reworked. Otherwise, they become empty rituals, and we find ourselves trapped. In this session, we journey to the wilderness of Sinai with Moses, who was willing to throw down his staff, walk away from his sheep, and start shepherding God’s people.
3. The Cage of Assumptions. As we age, many of us stop believing and start assuming. In this session, we join Abraham for a little stargazing to catch a glimpse of what is possible when you consider God in the equation of life.
4. The Cage of Guilt. The enemy’s tactics haven’t changed since the garden of Eden. He tries to neutralize us spiritually by getting us to focus on what we’ve done wrong in the past. As long as we are trapped by the guilt of what we’ve done wrong, we’re blinded to the dreams God has in mind for us. In this session, we follow Peter from the upper room to the courtyard of the high priest to the shore of Galilee and learn how Jesus can recondition our minds and hearts.
5. The Cage of Failure. Sometimes our plans have to fail in order for God’s plans to succeed. Divine detours and delays are often the paths God uses to get us where He wants us to go. This is the place where the Wild Goose chase will begin for many of us. In this session, we join Paul and other shipwreck survivors on the island of Malta to understand how our failure might turn into someone else’s miracle.
6. The Cage of Fear. We need to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Instead, we need to start playing offense with our lives because the world needs more people with more daring plans. In this session, we scale the wall with Jonathan, look the opposition in the eye, and dare to do dangerous things.

Editor’s Note: This article is excerpted from Chase the Goose, which is now available for purchase from the Threads store.