Jeremiah 1:4, 5 
The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, 
before you were born I set you apart; 
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (NIV)

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Our middle granddaughter loves balloons. She also loves Band-Aids, but that’s a different story. These two truths align her completely with most children her age. What is it about balloons that entertains children so well? 

A few years ago, another little girl accompanied us to Walmart. She asked for balloons. We obliged by saying we would buy a package. When you buy a package of balloons, you have to supply your own breath or helium. Since we were all out of helium, it was going to be our breath that filled the balloons. 

There were two sizes of balloon packages. There was a normal size with a dozen or so balloons, and there was a package with lots and lots of balloons. Those young eyes grew large with excitement as she pondered what it would be like to have dozens of balloons filled to capacity. My cheeks still ache when I remember that evening. We had to inflate every single balloon. 

You probably guessed that.

Walk with me downstairs to the princess tent that stands in the area between the kitchen and the living room. You will notice balloons of quite a colorful variety. You will also notice that those balloons stand in different states of inflation. There are probably a dozen or so stationed inside that tent. All of those balloons will be left outside the tent the next time our middle granddaughter departs for home. I will gather them again so that we can play with them again. 

We play with balloons because, for some reason, they stimulate laughter. They make us spin in circles as we watch them ascend and descend and bounce from place to place. It’s almost as if everything is better with balloons. 

Have you noticed that grocery stores frequently put balloons near the checkout stands? Our granddaughter certainly noticed that. My dear bride, who has been the penny-pinchingest person you have ever known through the years, somehow finds it perfectly acceptable to pay $8 for a single balloon when our granddaughter sweetly asks for one. 

Who could have foreseen that? 

Nothing I’ve written in the paragraphs above is surprising in the least. We know these things about ourselves and about little girls who know how to get what they want with sweet smiles and loving hugs. The way we know these simple truths, God knows all about us long before we’re born. 

Ephesians 2:10, which is frequently mentioned here in these morning missives, tells us that God has been having a dream about us since before time began. He told Jeremiah that he knew him before there was him. He had a plan and purpose for his life before he ever drew his first breath. 

We are kind of like uninflated balloons until God breathes his breath into us, filling us with life and purpose. He delights to watch us dance and laugh and play and work, helping others see how good and kind and joyful he is. 

The sad reality is that some people are uninterested in the very breath of God that would fill our lungs and lives if we cooperated with him. Even sadder is the truth of how many people choose to live unfulfilled lives when they could be filled with purpose. 

There’s an old hymn that helps us here. It’s called “Breathe on Me, Breath of God.” 

1 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love the way you love,
and do what you would do.

3 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with you the perfect life
for all eternity.

Psalter Hymnal, 1987

It’s a good song to sing today. If you don’t know how it goes, you can find it on iTunes or YouTube. It’s worth the search. It’s worth praying. It’s worth living a life fully expanded by the very breath of God. 

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I will welcome God’s breath to inflate me for His purpose. 

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Our Father, as this hymn says, “fill me with life anew that I may love the way you love and do what you would do.” Breathe on me, breath of God. Amen.