The Red Balloon

           I do not define my life by experiences of pain or abuses I have endured.  Yet as I continue down the road before me I realize that certain events cannot be ignored.  During a particularly painful part of this process the Lord shared a beautiful image with me.  I saw, in my mind, a wide-open field, vast, with grasses gently swaying in a light breeze.  I stood at the center of this field, holding a solitary red balloon.  The balloon represented all my hidden pain and my desire for acknowledgement of the abuse and validation of my feelings.  The cry of my heart was to be heard, to find a voice for the long suppressed suffering.  In this moment I felt the Lord gently whisper, “I know.”  Suddenly I realized that the world would never be able to provide me with enough vindication, enough validation, or enough contrition.  The only healing I would find would be through my heavenly Father.  At that was enough.  I felt the weight of this crimson stain slipping through my fingers and rising out of my hands.  The Red Balloon is a place for survivors, for lives undergoing change and seeking wholeness through Christ.  I hope that by sharing my daily attempts to release the Red Balloon you will also find hope and healing here.