Hot air balloons capture my imagination. I imagine floating off into the unknown and I am free to go wherever the wind blows me. I am caught up with the idea of leaving all my problems and worries behind. I find myself singing with Timon and Pumba …
Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze
It means no worries for the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!
My first real encounter with a hot air balloon was when I was living in Crystal Lake, Illinois and my son and daughter were still at home. It was early one Sunday morning when I woke up to a very unfamiliar sound. Whooooosh! Whoooooosh!! I quickly woke my husband (I always need a partner when I check out weird noises) and we began to investigate where the sound was coming from. We looked out our back window and I saw it. There was a beautiful hot air balloon slowly descending just behind our house. It was breathtaking.
That did it for me. I was enchanted with hot air balloons. Several years later my husband surprised me on Christmas with two tickets for a hot air balloon ride. I was going up and I wanted my mom to go with me. She was hesitant at first but warmed up quickly to the adventure. So early one morning we met at the predetermined site and there was our balloon lying flat on the ground. The crew went to work attaching the basket and the burner. Then the process of lifting the balloon off the ground began. A huge fan began pushing air into the opening at the bottom of the balloon and it slowly began to take shape.
Next we saw the burner lit and heard the sound of the hot air from the burner being forced into the balloon. The once flat balloon was now beginning to take shape. It slowly began to rise up off the ground and reach its top to the sky. Now its grandeur could be seen but it was still tied to the ground. My mom, the operator, and I quickly loaded into the basket while the crew began to untie the lines. We lifted off. Not a sudden thrust like a racecar leaving the starting line but an effortless, gentle ascent. We waved to family left on the ground and turned our eyes to the sky above calling us upward. I have never been weightless but this was close to what I imagine the feeling would be like. Free from all tethers and at the mercy of the wind currents to carry us where they would. And other than an occasional burst from the burner it was quiet.
And so it is with us. We are all like the hot air balloon I saw that morning lying on the ground with all the potential for flight but as yet not filled with the air that would make it rise. Genesis 1 : 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
It might as well say Judy was formless and empty. Without Christ we have no true life, no true meaning, no true purpose. Potential and possibilities lie within us waiting to be called to life. Many come to the Lord and just like He did with Adam He breathes life into us. Just like the Day of Pentecost the fire of the Holy Spirit fills our life with passion and we begin to take on the true meaning and purpose of our lives. The sad thing is that many Christ followers allow the Lord to breathe into them new life and the Holy Spirit fans the flames of purpose but they remain tethered to the earth. Fear, low self esteem, doubt, the past (you fill in the blank) keeps them earth bound. They are meant to soar but instead they stand as stately monuments. They are beautiful to look at but not fulfilling their divine destiny.
Learning to surrender our lives to the Lord is scary. Allowing Him to cut away the cords that bind us to the earth is also scary. But when we face the fear and allow the Lord to have His way, we begin a miraculous journey that is too wonderful to miss. It is not sudden but gentle and slow. As we rise above the noise and demands of this world, we begin to truly see the beauty of our heavenly Father. We experience the exhilaration of being directed by the breath of God – silent but powerful.
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