Rainbows

I woke to gray drizzle, a monotonous spray of water from the sky, not even so precise as to truly form raindrops that might pat or splash on a window or a sidewalk, but just a constant haze of colorlessness and water filling the air. This wetness continued until late afternoon, when I saw streams of light peeking over the trees. The light was bright and noticeable, and I found myself remarking to my kids that if the clouds parted just a bit more and the sun came out, there was a good chance we might see a rainbow.

As I said it, I was struck by the fact that it had been a long time since I’d looked at a storm cloud and anticipated a rainbow. I caught myself by surprise at the realization that a colorful arc is the inevitable outcome when water in the air is caught by rays of light.

As a child, didn’t you always look for a rainbow at the end of a storm? Weren’t you aware of the existence of rainbows always, their presence a sure thing? The little girl I was took every opportunity to find the shimmery bows and I always reminded myself that they meant that God always keeps His promises.

I realized that, lately, I haven’t been looking for rainbows. Not in the sky after a rainstorm, and not in my life with God. I’ve been living in a gray, muggy haze with Him, a place where I know He is there, but I’ve lost confidence that we’re moving toward a moment where this sogginess will encounter light and be transformed into beauty. I haven’t been looking at life’s thunderheads with anticipatory joy, knowing there’s beauty to come once this storm has passed. I’ve lost touch with the notion that with the rainbow comes the assurance of God’s promises. The little girl I was, the one who searched the skies expectantly, has gone missing.

God got my attention today. While we didn’t actually see a rainbow before the sun set, I’m choosing to believe that doesn’t mean there wasn’t one. I know that God wants me to be on the lookout for the ways He keeps His promises—both in the sky, and in my life. I had the opportunity today to be reminded of this and of His love for me.

Will you join me in looking for rainbows—the ones that race across the heavens as the rain is passing and the ones that mark your heart as you see God’s promises come to fulfillment in your life? When we see that He takes the elements of our storms and submits it to His light, we are assured that He is making things new and beautiful. That’s a promise we can cling to.

 

When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth.—Genesis 9:16 MSG