Balloon Exercise

My small group celebrated our 1 year anniversary of having been a group together this past week. Around the table we talked about where we were a year ago to where we are now and just what this group has meant to all of us - A great night of reflection and hope for the future.

Before our dinner of salad, spaghetti and chocolate cake we did the most amazing exercise that we learned about from the book we're currently reading, The Confident Woman by Anabel Gillham (awesome book).

Get a helium balloon, a sharpie and a hand weight. Write out all your worries and burdens on the balloon. Be as detailed or as concise as you want. Then go outside to an open space with the balloon and weight. Hold your arm straight out holding the weight and balloon in one hand. When your arm hurts too much from the weight, let go of both. Watch the balloon float away. This signifies releasing your burdens to God. As you watch the balloon float away until it's a tiny speck, it's a reminder of how small our worries are compared to the magnitude of God. Afterwards write down the time and date that you did the exercise, and place around commonly looked at places as a reminder that you are no longer carrying that burden.

So whenever those same old worries have popped into my head this week, I have tried to think about my dark blue balloon being swallowed up into the massive sky, no longer being clenched in my aching hand.