As I looked out my kitchen window to the backyard, there was my son, almost two years old, sitting under a beautiful blossoming tree, his lap covered in puppies, with two big red balloons floating above his head. He looked so peaceful and joyful; to me, it was pure happiness.
The next time I looked out the window, though, one of the balloons had popped, and I was looking at a much different scene. Now, there sat before me a sad, red-faced little toddler, with tears streaming down his face. He was staring at the red balloon on the ground, trying to put the pieces back together, completely unaware of the two darling puppies right beside him playing tug of war with the green string that had held the balloon.
My heart went out to my son. We had had many a balloon fly away, and had waved them farewell, but this was something new for my dear child. There he sat, seeing his balloon beyond repair. As I assessed the situation, I prayed, knowing that happiness and God’s love for us are permanent, because they are spiritual qualities that we always have from God—they’re not contingent on a balloon being filled with helium! I wholeheartedly knew that God’s love is gentle, sweet, kind, and full of promise.
