I was in the back lawn the other evening as I noticed a hot air balloon going over. High in the sky with beautiful white clouds behind, it made a beautiful picture. I really enjoyed watching it sail along in the sky.
Sometimes life is like that, all is beautiful, seems so relaxed and enjoyable. What could be better, life is good, everything is great, good health, a home, food, bills paid on time, and there is nothing you really need.
I watched the hot air balloon as it went over our lawn and started over the tree tops along the side of the lawn. I could hear the operator in the balloon turning on the flame over and over. At first I didn’t think much about it, until I noticed it seemed to be going down behind the trees and not staying up in the air.
Life is like that we are going along really good then some little things come along and start to bring us down. It might be a cross word from someone, aggravation, or something we are trying to do and it doesn’t work. We burn the bacon, spill the milk, take the wrong turn onto a road, all can start to bring us down. We keep putting on the “flame” in the balloon, but we can’t get up. A cross word or aggravation starts to turn to anger when everything doesn’t work and all goes wrong. You start to loose your temper, it gets bad.
I hurried to the front lawn by the road to see beyond the trees and see where the balloon was headed. There I noticed it was on the other side of the road coming down even more, it was now over the top of a big tree and the house. Was it having trouble and couldn’t get back up?
How about us do our little things hit us and start to bring us down? Then they grow and grow, get bigger and bigger problems, we begin to worry, fret, stew and are going down, down, down.
As I watched it clear the house and tree, but as it passed over the field it was coming even lower. There was no way it was going to miss the electric lines and trees on the other side of the meadow. It wasn’t going up, just coming down and all the time getting closer and closer to the lines and trees. Was the operator in control? I was getting concerned and of course there was nothing I could do.
When our problems begin with worrying, fretting, stewing, then it doesn’t take long and we begin to really complain, blame others “It’s not me” but everyone else has caused our problems. Yes, we are going down and about to crash into something. There seems to be no hope.
To my amazement, especially, since I do not know anything about hot air balloons, that balloon came closer to the lines but then settled safely on the ground.
Why do we get ourselves in such a pity state? God tells us in Philippians 2:14 NKJV that we should, “Do all things without complaining and disputing.”
That big hot air balloon landed safely in the field. 
I am sure this was not the spot the operator planned on landing. How do I know? In all the years I have lived here, there has never been one land there before.
There are times when we head one way and God leads a different way. It may not be our first choice. I am sure the operator of the hot air balloon didn’t plan to land where he did. There are many times we do not plan to land where we do. “And whatsoever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” I John 3:22 NKJV.
The hot air balloon was safely down. Not long after that, the operator started to let the air out and the balloon began to settle to the ground and be folded up and taken home.
“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” Philippians 2:13, NKJV. No matter if we fly high as a hot air balloon with clouds making all look great or if we are coming down, loosing power and landing where we do not plan. God is there. John 14:27 NKJV says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
What are we going to do? Put our trust in God and let Him have control of our lives or try and run ourselves into trouble over and over again.