When I lived in Alabama I yearly attended and volunteered at a large hot-air balloon festival. There, I learned what a tethered balloon ride was and took one, maybe once or twice.
Once a hot-air balloon lifts off the ground and the tethering rope is no longer keeping it within certain parameters from the ground, safe navigation is dependent upon the skill of the balloon pilot but also upon other variable conditions such as wind. On occasion, there are balloon excursions that end up deadly.
Some years, awareness of atmospheric conditions prohibited the beautiful balloons to ever take off, and they simply provided tethered experiences to those present.
Yesterday, I had four young people working here with me outdoors. When we took a break to have some pizza, I had the TV going with YouTube music concerts. I left the room and returned to hear them in a conversation about a contemporary show of sketches, and how funny.
I asked what it was and we watched one together. I found it so very absurdly funny – truly. It involved a court room where texts between co-workers were being read aloud in dead pan voice by a lawyer, including the emojis, as evidence in an insider-stock-trading trial.
There was a huge amount of uncomfortable language, but just the idea of it and the reality that some people regularly talk this way, and hearing it read aloud, along with the other elements of the sketch, had me really laughing.
It was laughable.
It led to a variety of conversation. I also put on Monty Python’s old sketch of The Argument Clinic.
Late last night I found myself texting the link to the contemporary humored sketch to two friends whom I thought would find it quite funny. I watched it again, but then cringed more at the words and actually messaged the one friend that the language was quite a lot and if she didn’t want to watch it, that was OK.
She laughed – “LOL no worries” – and not sure if she watched it yet or not.
But, this morning I did have a slight yuck feeling.
I seem to be able to have some excursions at times into territories I wouldn’t want to remain in and to appreciate it for what it is and then return to the better places more worthy of dwelling in. I see this in a number of ways in my life and thinking and being…yet, this morning, I have some thoughts.
Thoughts about the constant spiritual, emotional and physical excursions we all must navigate in this world.
It’s a Monday, and I am daunted already. There are too many untethered, ungrounded balloons in my own world and the worlds of those I care most deeply about. Too many battles, alongside many moments of selecting that which I wish to tether myself to. And to be fair, equally a plethora of opportunities (which I do take) for excursions to beautiful places that exist within these trials and tribulations.
I do believe in and experience freedoms of thought and exploration (while remaining in Jesus), yet, I recognize and increasingly desire and see my need to keep carefully tethered to Him in a variety of ways. I recognize both the excursions He takes me on and also the times I stray a bit in my own excursions, yet keep returning, in moments, hours, days, months, years, seasons to the tethering to Jesus and to the Cross.
And so, I select a hymn I’ve been drawn to recently, to ground myself this Monday.
There is just too much at stake, and my needs are too great, to do otherwise.
Bring me back, Lord Jesus, to those good and beautiful places.
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