Like a Hot Air Balloon at Rush Hour

I wish you could join me on my commute.

We'd sip coffee, pass the time with witty banter, and rock out to our favorite Pentatonix Christmas songs.

But why I really want you to experience my morning commute is because this time of year, the nights are chilly and the desert air is clear and that makes perfect hot air balloon weather. The horizon is dotted with majestic balloons hanging in the air. The occasional flash of their firelight punctuates their etherial presence.

And I can't help but stare (as safely as I can while I drive, of course).

The rest of us down on earth are driving ninety-to-nothing, just trying to get there on time. We're stressed and rushed and you can see it on the face of every driver. Teeth clenched, hands gripping the wheel, eyes darting to make sure no one encroaches into the personal space bubble.

We whiz past gorgeous scenery, lonely hearts, and the unloved in the unending race to there.

But the balloons. They rise above it. They hang, peacefully, above the fray, seemingly unaffected by the demands of the urgent and are wholly focused on the moment. They rise out of the haze of the city and focus on the beauty of the heavens.

They, too, are on a journey, but the journey is the destination in many ways. How they get where they are going is largely completely out of their control - and that's why they love it. At the mercy of the wind, suspended in a blissful state of rest.

I want to be like those balloons.

I'm not talking bout laziness or ignoring the plight of the world. I don't suggest we leave this earth to it's fate and do nothing but dream of Heaven.

No.

I'm talking about my spirit.

Didn't Jesus come to give our spirits rest? To bring peace to the weary heart?

Oh yes. He said, "Come to me, all who are weary and overloaded, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 (my paraphrase).

In Christ our souls can get above the fray, suspending the chaos that swirls around us...inside us. He lifts us up above the polluted haze of selfishness, pride, and indifference to where the air is clear and we gain a new perspective of what the world really looks like.

We're still on a journey, and though still surrounded by chaos, inside we breathe deep knowing His winds of grace will guide us where we need to go. There's still a destination. A place we need to be, but in His ways we often arrive much more slowly than we anticipated or would have preferred. But the journey. Oh, the journey of peace and rest is so much better than the harried white-knuckled driving of our own personal rush hour.

What do you need to do today, friend, to buoy your soul? Take a moment now, take a deep breath, close your eyes and ask Him to lift you up. To bring your soul out of the rat race and up to His view so you can have the perspective, peace, and joy needed to do the things to which He has called you.

Blessings,

Jen