The Boy In The Balloon.... buffoon?

I'm sure you've been seeing it over the news the past week or so. The boy in the hot air balloon. If you didn't here's the quick synopsis- last week a man frantically called 911 and said that his 6 year old son had entered a compartment to a weather balloon and was now floating away.

A massive hysteria ensued. Police, military, and the FAA were all involved to help this defenseless boy who was apparently was floating his way to eternity. It was tragic, scary and a media circus event. Which is amazing, except as of now, it appears that the whole thing was a hoax.

The boy was hiding in his attic. His dad told him to hide there, and then the dad called 911. There is talk of the dad being brought up on charges for perpetuating this hoax. What do I think? I'm not sure if charges is the way to go.

Turns out that this dad had high hopes of a reality show and a movie deal, and he thought that this hoax would be a way to plunge him into the limelight. Well, he sure is in the limelight now.

Here's what I think was/is going on in this man's mind. Like many people, he is probably plagued with feelings of worthlessness, and loneliness. In his mind, he thought that this media notoriety would somehow solve his feelings of self pity. He was willing to go to extreme lengths to go from being a nobody to a somebody. To go from obscurity to notoriety.

Isn't there a little bit of that in us all? A thought or a feeling that no one knows were alive, or cares about us? That our life is lived and no one seems to notice?

You have value. You matter. Do you know why you have value and you matter? Because the God who created the universe created you, and He says that he loves you. He loves you and knows exactly where you are, what you are doing, and the things that are going on on in your life.

Try this today- instead of sticking yourself or your child into a weather balloon, sit down and say this to yourself- God loves me. You will be amazed at the power that exists in those words. When you realize that you are cherished by Him, it helps you to see that your life, your existence does matter. Even if you're not on a reality show.

Blessings
matt