The Story

The story behind the title

Imagine with me what it is like to be in the basket of a hot air balloon. As long as it is tethered to the ground it cannot go anywhere and does not serve much purpose. However, once the tethers are unhooked it begins to float. It is transported by the wind. Because it is going the same speed as the wind there is no feeling of wind on your face. Unless the burners are firing there is no sound. Pure peace.

As a friend of mine was praying for me one morning she heard Jesus say, “Connie is about to be untethered.” I pondered that for quite some time. It felt a bit terrifying to be honest. I didn’t just want to be flying around willy-nilly!

As I sat in that prophetic word day after day, asking Jesus what he meant, he gave me a picture of a hot air balloon. It is tethered with three main ropes to stabilize it while on the ground. At that time there were three main tethers holding me in place, grounding me.

I was a music teacher with over 40 years of experience. Wherever our ministry took us I always had employment. It was a great safety net. I was good at it. My students loved me and I loved them. And yet, I was ready to retire. I had been feeling unsettled in this life-long profession for a year or two and this ‘word from the Lord’ seemed to be the needed push to get me to relinquish this fulfilling role that was fast losing its lustre.

I have been a pastor’s wife for over 30 years. I also love this role. For some reason it felt like the Lord was asking me to release that as well. “Throw off the tether that is holding you in place. There are so many more women in this world than just the ones in your little church family. Expand your circle of influence.” This too seemed a bit overwhelming. How big was this going to be?

My eldest daughter became a widow at age 25 with three small boys to raise on her own. She lived thirty minutes from our house, so we were able to support her as much as she needed. Now it seemed the Lord wanted me to unhook that tether as well. This one was much more difficult. But as we worked together through some very difficult issues, she proclaimed one day to me, “Don’t you dare select a place of ministry just so you can be near me! I will be okay if you and Daddy have to move far away. A few years ago, I could not have done it, and I will miss you, but I will be okay now.”

That was it. Those were the three tethers holding me down on the ground. Once I released all three, I began to see there were actually many more along the way that continually needed to be released (more on that later). God had a plan for me that went beyond my normal comfort zone. This was exhilarating. This was terrifying. This was exciting. I was all in!

From: 4 fun facts about hot air balloons https://www.cbc.ca

3 main parts to a hot air balloon: the burner (creates heat that rises), the envelope (the balloon part), the basket, or gondola (the part that is lifted by the balloon and carries the pilot and passengers)

A balloon cannot fly in the rain. The water on top of the balloon will rise above boiling temperature ruining the fabric.

Pilots are at the mercy of the wind as to where the balloon will travel. Wind speed is different at various altitudes so the pilot listens to the weather report and turns the burner on and off, raising and lowering the balloon, to maintain the speed he/she desires.

I am not the pilot of this ‘hot air balloon’. Jesus is. The Holy Spirit blows us where the Father directs. Jesus raises and lowers the balloon according to which wind direction and speed is called for. Sometimes we land and explore for a bit. Much of the time we are enjoying the scenery. This part of the journey is about resting and enjoying God’s presence; learning to trust him and allowing him the joy of providing all I need; living untethered from the fears and concerns of this world in which we live. Relinquishing all control and resting in God’s competent hands.

When my friend shared this word with me, I had no idea my husband was going to be unemployed just after I retired. With no known income but a huge mortgage to keep paying we embarked on an adventure like none other. We did not have months of mortgage payments set aside in our savings account, we could possibly make it a month or two but then the well would be dry. It was humanly impossible to make it through these past 9 months (at the time of writing this blog) without debt or worse yet, foreclosure. We would need a truly miraculous provision from Father.

Not only did God provide financially but he provided (and continues to provide) comfort and care, teaching, rest, intimacy, soul healing, deepening of some friendships, the release of others, and development of some new ones. He has given us everything we have needed. Why would I NOT trust a God and Father like this?!!

Unemployment in Alberta is at an all-time high with our zone being one of the hardest hit. Tom turned over every rock he could, looking for some employment; anything he was remotely qualified for or skilled at. He had to settle for Employment Insurance. How could I contribute in any way to improve our situation? I had already sold all my teaching material so I couldn’t go back to that. Plus, a music teacher does not teach for an ‘unknown’ amount of time. Students want some sort of long-term commitment, and rightly so. We did all we could to ensure our mortgage and bills would be paid. We applied for mortgage salvation (they stayed our payments for 4 months). And, we sold a bunch of stuff. Even that was in God’s hands as who buys a 50-year old stuffed pheasant?!! Turns out there is a market for almost anything. Selling stuff was also part of the untethering process. Very therapeutic.

I chose to live with open hands and an open heart. The only thing we were sure of is that we had obeyed God and taken the step of faith to step out from the security of previous work environments (aka drawing a regular paycheque). We knew he was preparing us for some future ministry, but we did not have the details as to what that might be or when it would arrive. We just kept hearing, “Rest in me. I’ve got this. I’ve got you.” Who was I to argue with the pilot of the hot air balloon?

This blog is part of the obedience piece. I am a writer. I have a story to tell. Whether people read my story or not is up to God. He will draw my readers. He will also put the words into my heart. I just need to make myself vulnerable and step out.

So here goes…