I Did Not See That Coming

Recently, I have become obsessed with balloons.
Never in my life have I really cared about them.
Until last month.
When it became my new favorite metaphor for life.
Now, I can’t get enough.

Have you ever seen a balloon artist at a party?
They stroll in with this utility belt filled with colorful pieces of rubber.
Waiting to be twisted into reality.
And when each deflated balloon is pulled out, you can almost hear it begging,
Please, inflate me into something magical.
And it’s as if the artist looks at it and says, Don’t worry, I got you.
Next thing you know, through a symphony of twists and turns and that inevitable squeaking sound, you’re holding a poodle, wielding a sword, and sporting a giant hat.

I’ve seen it dozens of times, yet it never ceases to amaze me.
It’s like, one moment, you have this sad, lifeless rubber tube,
and the next, you’re suddenly holding a neon green giraffe.
Each time, I find myself in awe, thinking, I did not see that coming.

Much like a deflated balloon awaiting the breath that brings transformation,
we often find ourselves in a season where we can’t see the forest for the trees.
Everything seems foggy, and the obstacles feel insurmountable.
You can’t imagine how you will get from here to there.
And you certainly cannot envision how your Red Sea is going to part.

But the absence of an immediate solution doesn’t mean it’s nonexistent.
Because God is the master balloon artist, and He defies all logic.
And He specializes in the art of turning the mundane into the miraculous.
Just when you think all hope is lost,
He fashions clarity from chaos.
And turns uncertainty into understanding.
I’m thoroughly convinced, many times over,
that He makes a way when there seems to be no way.

So, when every ounce of logic,
every fact,
and every reasonable explanation
point to an unremarkable rubber balloon,
God has the power to suddenly breathe life,
into our most challenging and uncertain moments,
and miraculously transform them into a masterpiece
that will have you saying,
I did NOT see that coming.