Seen Any Rainbows Lately?

Seen Any Rainbows Lately?
This beautiful rainbow was over our subdivision after a recent rain. I grew up with only one thought about rainbows. I learned about it in my Sunday School class. You know….Noah, the ark, the animals, the rain, the flood, the promise. It is found in Genesis 9. And God said, “Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”

That’s what I knew about a rainbow….it was the Promise of God. It is always like heaven touching earth whenever I see one. In the midst of life’s storms it is often hard to spot a rainbow, but I think the most important thing is to remember, these miracles of the sky only appear AFTER the storm. I’ll never forget a really tough season in our lives and we were exhausted from fighting the good fight of faith and then we walked into our home and up on a large painting was a rainbow being reflected from the sun coming in the room and hitting a glass object. That was just the “sign” we needed to know we were coming out of the storm, and we did, in almost unimaginable ways.

Along the way, I heard more about rainbows from our Irish friends — that, at the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold. Fun thought, however far fetched it may be. When I was in Ireland last year, I realized that what the Irish really believe is that rainbows symbolize blessings from heaven.

The rainbow took on another meaning when the Supreme Court’ made the decision on gay marriage. Social media and even the White House were lit up with the colors of the rainbow.

No matter what belief system people have, nothing changes the fact that God designed the rainbow to symbolize something far greater and far more glorious than pots of gold, little green leprechauns or diverse sexual orientations.

The really good news, for all of us, is the rainbow displays God’s grace towards all humanity. To this day, the rainbow symbolizes that promise. Back to Genesis 9 — as long as the rainbow hangs in the sky, God will mercifully and graciously restrain his anger towards humanity, but I sure don’t want to take chances on God’s patience with me. Yes, He’s so very patient with us and the fact that He hasn’t sent another flood to destroy the world and all its craziness again, is certainly a ginormous display of His tolerance and patience. He is so merciful.

As I typed this last night, I thought about the Star in the East that led the Magi to the Christ Child. What if, no matter if the rainbow is in the sky, on a flag or a lapel pin that someone is wearing — that our first thought would be “Lord, as we see this rainbow, may it point us and others to Your grace, Your love, Your forgiveness, and Your peace and that it would bring us to seeking and serving You with all our hearts.

Now, I give you one of those sweet Irish blessings:
” May God give you…for every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.”
~ Old Irish Blessing