Soaring like the balloon

I watched a balloon one day. A child released it to fly high into the sky. The string once holding it back had lost its power, and the graceful colorful balloon was free to pursue its dreams at last. I learned a lot from watching that balloon that day.

People and businesses often give balloons to children. If children are accompanying me, I attempt to persuade them to liberate their prize into the blue. We all, children and adults, wave and shout "Bye-bye, balloon" as it darts and dances upward. We stretch our necks to see how high and far it goes. Up, up and away it glides into never-never land.

Floating quickly to and fro with the wind, it seems to be smiling -- saying "Look at me; I'm free at last." And it's true, for the string once holding it back merely trails along behind, causing no threat, unable to control the movement of the balloon any longer.

As I stood in a parking lot watching that newly freed ball of color teasing us below, I gave it life and contemplated how it must be thanking me and saying "Look at me, I'm independent now. The cord's been cut that once held me back."

I pondered how much we are like that balloon, people of beauty hoping to be suddenly unshackled without boundaries, to fly with the wind, aching to fling our inhibitions and fears aside and reach upward. And I also recognized how we, too, can be held back by something so small as that piece of string chaining the balloon. I wondered what barrier was keeping me from experiencing the freedom that God intended I have. What was keeping me from dancing, bounding and soaring to reach my innermost desires and dreams?

As I delved into people's most obstinate stumbling blocks, I realized that fear is behind most limitations, barring physical ones over which one often has little control. Fear paralyzes and causes man to be his own worst enemy. Someone can assure us we're capable of a particular accomplishment. The resources for education, a new home and singing lessons are available. We know we're talented -- so what string is holding us back and keeping us from climbing and reaching high toward our goals in life?

God understood the crippling effect of fear and that we needed more than our own courage to carry on. When he calmed the storm at sea he responded to the disciples' fear by asking them. "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" (Mark 4:40) Even though we are steeped in the Word, without God's intervention, we can falter in our steps.

Our lack of faith holds us back. That lack of faith is based on fear.

Fear that things may fail to turn out as we had hoped or as we think they should. Our lack of faith resulting in fear is more often than not the string that keeps us from reaching out. Paul tells Timothy to not be ashamed of his "testimony to the Lord and to use God's gifts to him." He reminded him that "God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:6, 7, 8)

Fear encompasses almost everything. We may fear losing our identity if we change careers; afraid we'll never attract a spouse we desire; fail a test or flunk out of school. We may think (fear) we're not good enough, unpopular. Fear can indeed become our biggest obstacle to overcome because it can affect anything we encounter. With God's gift of faith, however we can cut that string of fear and soar like the balloon.

Our biggest challenge is finding what fears are imbedded within, keeping us from cutting our string and flying. What's yours?

Ellen Shuck is director of religious education at St. Mary's Cathedral Parish.