8/26/2016 0 Comments BalloonsWhen my daughter was really little, she loved balloons. Like most toddlers, she was fascinated with the colors and the way they rose above her stroller and bounced along after us. But unlike her little brothers, who would start to wail every time their prize would float away, she loved to see the brightly colored vessels soar into the sky. She would squint into the sun and watch the balloon ride the eddies and currents of the wind until it would disappear from view and then turn to me with a satisfied grin. I always wondered why she got so much pleasure watching them sail off and disappear.
Sad, saggy balloons that had lost their lift and dangled from the backs of chairs after a party seemed to upset her. She would grab them a toss them upwards trying to help them regain their character, but it never worked. The helium had leaked out and been replaced by the air around them, causing them to hover just off the ground. This made them perfect for kicking like a soft soccer ball, but worthless in their original intent. I think a lot of us live lives like the soggy balloons. We are meant to fly high above the earth full of the life lifting power of God floating on the winds of the Holy Spirit. Our brightness and beauty should catch the eyes of the people around us, but we don’t. More often than not we are like the half-deflated balls that barely make it off the ground. We are content with hovering two inches off the ground instead of soaring to dizzying heights. Helium, the stuff that fills balloons and causes them to fly, is the first noble gas. One of the characteristics of a noble gas is they rarely interact with other elements around them. They are content to remain separate from the other elements and retain their unique properties. They are of this world, but not contaminated by it. I think that when we have the nobility of Christ in us, we have the ability to float above the hard ground of the earth a little better. It doesn’t mean that we won’t be buffeted by the winds that that come with life, but we can be lifted to greater heights because of them. We are called to live lives like the bright bouquets of balloons that draw the attention of children and adults at the fair. We should rise above the world and it’s circumstances, and float heavenward drawing the eyes of everyone around us. We are filled with something greater than a noble gas, we are filled with spirit of God, we won’t pop when we reach the next layer of the atmosphere. Why don’t we let the Lord lift us to the greater heights instead of bumping along in the muck and mire of the world? A fear of falling back to earth as a torn bit of Mylar causes us to never fully achieve the greatness that God has in store for us. Balloons also have the ability to lift others around them. Have you ever noticed that there are usually one or two that sag under the group, but when the person holding the balloons lets go of the bundle, all are drawn up into the sky? The ones that are stronger lift the weaker ones with them. We are called to encourage those around us, to help them on their journey, not cut them loose and watch them bump along the ground, deflated and sad. When we fill ourselves with the life giving power of God, the rocks and perils of the earth diminish. It’s hard to stumble and stub a toe when you are soaring with the eagles.
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AuthorI am a Christian, a wife, a mom, and a part-time basket case who wants to be a full time writer.
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