Casandra Martin

My daughter celebrated her birthday recently. Never mind how old she is or how old that makes me (mmmm…..). We celebrated – presents, cake, smiles, and our one dollar birthday sign that has become a family tradition. And balloons. One sweet friend brought her a brightly-colored, flies-high, lots-of-streamers balloon. The rest is packed away awaiting the next child who will make me feel older, but the balloon is still floating. The boys run by and knock it down like a punching bag. It just pops back up. Depending on who is walking through the room, it has brought squeals of delight, murmurs of annoyance, “is that still here?” comments, and simple wonder. Simple wonder because I see God in that balloon.

You see, I am like the balloon. Faith is the stuff that makes it float. You can’t see it, but you can’t miss its effects. It lifts the balloon up. It helps it fly above the ordinary. Stuff happens and we get knocked down. Faith helps us back up. For some, seeing faith brings joy and praise. Others see faith and are annoyed or surprised that our faith has stuck around this long. The thing about balloons is that they get noticed. Not everybody likes them, but everybody notices them. Some smile. Some brush them away. Some take a good swing. But balloons draw people’s eyes upward. The saddest balloons are the ones that limp. The faith leaks out of them little by little. Noticing the presence of God helps pump up our faith. It keeps us full and helps us pull toward heaven.

My Jesus Resolution today is to let God’s simple wonders lift my faith. I want to be like that balloon – longing to move upward, straining against the string that binds me to this earth, pulling the eyes of everyone who sees me heavenward. I pray you see a balloon today. Better yet, buy one and give it to someone. Watch their face and follow their eyes. Then remember to let your faith work in the same way.