On Memorial Day weekend John and I were able to go and see our first Hot Air Balloon Jubilee in Decatur. We had heard how incredible it is, and it met expectations! We really didn’t know much about hot air balloons (and still don’t!) but it was very fun to see all of the balloons, their teams, their gear, and other spectators.

It was fascinating watching the teams get the balloons set up and inflated. Everyone knew exactly what he or she should be doing. It was a precise ballet to get them floating in a safe and controlled manner. There was a competition where some of the balloons (the “foxes”) followed another balloon (the “hare”). As we watched the balloons take off and quickly disappear into the clouds, we wondered where they would land. How far would they go? It was eerie watching them disappear.

Disappearing into the clouds!

As we left we saw that they hadn’t gone far, just a couple hundred yards to the golf course. According to friends, there really wasn’t enough wind to get them anywhere, so they came back down.

As I have mulled over this beautiful spectacle and the pictures I got, and the ones I wish I could have gotten, the idea of “no wind” really spoke to me. In Hebrew, ruach means wind. It also means Spirit. How applicable is that for us as Christians?!

Without the Spirit, we can’t go anywhere.

Without the Spirit, we end up near where we started, not where God may have wanted us to be if we had been willing to follow the Spirit. In a balloon, you can only go where the wind takes you.

Elvis stayed with his fans on Saturday morning!

Additionally, there were several balloons that stayed on the ground for safety’s sake. The teams were apparently afraid of what might happen given the conditions that day.

While I do think it is completely reasonable to not go up in a hot air balloon due to safety reasons, how many times do I not take the spiritual risk that Spirit is asking—to go where the Spirit leads, no matter what? How many times do I stay put because I am afraid of where the wind might blow? My prayer is that I will have the courage to go where the Spirit leads me and that my fear doesn’t keep me where I am!

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Gal. 5:25

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