Breaking Free – A Lesson from Hot Air Balloons
The following passage is an excerpt from the book The Flip Side by Flip Flippen. It is a“self-help” book written to help people break free from constraints which hold them back from fulfilling their potential. He tells the story of a hot air balloon to illustrate how certain habits can keep us tie down.
“One balloon caught my eye. Most people were running away from it because it had become dangerous-the furnace had
stopped firing hot air into the balloon before it had fully inflated. Half filled and tethered by a long rope, it was slowly arcing its way in a circle, knocking over everything in its path like an enormous plush bowling ball. A crew
member was frantically struggling to untie a rope that wouldn’t budge while the balloon wreaked havoc in slow motion. As we watched from a distance, the balloon continued “butt bumping” along the field, as it pulled and lurched against the
restraints…
Whether we recognize it or not, we are all in a race. Some of us are still tied to the ground, looking for a way to get
loose so we can take flight. Then there are those who are lifting off but not gaining any altitude because they are carrying too much weight. The ropes and weights hold them down as they try to move up and out.
As we begin our ascent, we notice the some balloons are immediately soaring upward, while others are hovering along the
surface, barely clearing the ground. Then someone runs up and yells at one of those struggling to get off the ground, “It’s the weights! Throw
out the weights!”
As I was reading this illustration, the first verse of Hebrews Chapter 12 immediately came to mind:“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
In our “flight” as Christians, we often allow weights and ropes to keep
us from soaring to the heights of God’s standards.
We become bogged down with trivial pursuits, busyness, and material obsessions that add extra weight to our daily walk. Those weights are time consuming endeavors that keeps us from spending time in prayer, Bible readings, and service to others. When we wonder why our relationship with our Savior and Lord is fading, we need examine our lives to see how we can lighten our burdens by rearranging our priorities. Time spent watching television, reading and writing emails,
shopping, and random surfing on the Internet are a few of the “weights” I tend to hang on to --what extra burdens can you throw overboard?
Not only can the extra weight be a problem, but there are also those pesky “ropes” that tie us down. These ropes are sin. Sin that entangles us, traps us, and renders us useless to God. We may think we are flying, when in reality we are only “butt bumping” a few feet off the ground because our sin is holding us back. These ropes are often invisible to others – but before long the roots of pride, bitterness, and anger grow until we find ourselves tripping over them time and time again. These “ropes” are hard to get rid of, but once we cut ourselves free from them, we can fly!
Remember, you can choose to lives the same as you always have, or you can start to recognize and triumph over the weights and ropes that are keeping you prisoner. When you break free of the chains, you will find that the
flight is much more enjoyable.
The following passage is an excerpt from the book The Flip Side by Flip Flippen. It is a“self-help” book written to help people break free from constraints which hold them back from fulfilling their potential. He tells the story of a hot air balloon to illustrate how certain habits can keep us tie down.
“One balloon caught my eye. Most people were running away from it because it had become dangerous-the furnace had
stopped firing hot air into the balloon before it had fully inflated. Half filled and tethered by a long rope, it was slowly arcing its way in a circle, knocking over everything in its path like an enormous plush bowling ball. A crew
member was frantically struggling to untie a rope that wouldn’t budge while the balloon wreaked havoc in slow motion. As we watched from a distance, the balloon continued “butt bumping” along the field, as it pulled and lurched against the
restraints…
Whether we recognize it or not, we are all in a race. Some of us are still tied to the ground, looking for a way to get
loose so we can take flight. Then there are those who are lifting off but not gaining any altitude because they are carrying too much weight. The ropes and weights hold them down as they try to move up and out.
As we begin our ascent, we notice the some balloons are immediately soaring upward, while others are hovering along the
surface, barely clearing the ground. Then someone runs up and yells at one of those struggling to get off the ground, “It’s the weights! Throw
out the weights!”
As I was reading this illustration, the first verse of Hebrews Chapter 12 immediately came to mind:“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
In our “flight” as Christians, we often allow weights and ropes to keep
us from soaring to the heights of God’s standards.
We become bogged down with trivial pursuits, busyness, and material obsessions that add extra weight to our daily walk. Those weights are time consuming endeavors that keeps us from spending time in prayer, Bible readings, and service to others. When we wonder why our relationship with our Savior and Lord is fading, we need examine our lives to see how we can lighten our burdens by rearranging our priorities. Time spent watching television, reading and writing emails,
shopping, and random surfing on the Internet are a few of the “weights” I tend to hang on to --what extra burdens can you throw overboard?
Not only can the extra weight be a problem, but there are also those pesky “ropes” that tie us down. These ropes are sin. Sin that entangles us, traps us, and renders us useless to God. We may think we are flying, when in reality we are only “butt bumping” a few feet off the ground because our sin is holding us back. These ropes are often invisible to others – but before long the roots of pride, bitterness, and anger grow until we find ourselves tripping over them time and time again. These “ropes” are hard to get rid of, but once we cut ourselves free from them, we can fly!
Remember, you can choose to lives the same as you always have, or you can start to recognize and triumph over the weights and ropes that are keeping you prisoner. When you break free of the chains, you will find that the
flight is much more enjoyable.