Filled

Balloons... The other day I was thinking about balloons, and how a recent experience in preparing for a Women's Weekend Retreat and the actual weekend made me fill much like a balloon. When a balloon has not been breathed in, it is empty, deflated, limp, and lifeless. In order for a balloon to grow it must be breathed in, it must be stretched, it must be filled. I had the honor of playing several different roles at this weekend retreat. I taught a class, which I had to prepare for, I was in a couple of skits, which I had to practice for, and I shared my testimony. There were times when I wondered if I could carry out each one of these tasks, actually there were times that I thought I would just pop. The good thing is that God knows exactly when to stop stretching us before the pressure will cause us to burst. Just like a balloon, in order for us to grow we must be stretched. Often this is just uncomfortable and overwhelming. The weeks leading up to this retreat I felt like I was carrying a heavy burden, I was being stretched beyond my capabilities. God was doing a great work within my heart. He was revealing who he is and drawing me closer to him. He was breathing life in me and without realizing it I was growing. When I thought it was too much, God knew that it was just enough. The weekend came and the stretching had fulfilled it's purpose. If you place something inside a balloon you cannot see it until it has been stretched and becomes transparent. Once this takes place you are able to clearly see what is inside. It was my prayer that God would allow his women to see what was inside, to see him and his workings in my life. It seems that the entire weekend was about transparency and coming out of hiding. This is what our loving heavenly father wants from us, a willingness to be stretched, no matter how uncomfortable. We have to be willing to allow God to breathe life into us so that we can grow. Where is God stretching you? How is he growing you? What does he want to reveal on the inside? Are you ready to be filled?

"And I will put my spirit within you." Ezek. 36:27