Chasing Rainbows

It wasn't a coincidence that I saw the rainbow on the way home from work the other day. No, not on a day when I desperately needed to be reminded of three things. As I was praying for God to help me see, I rounded the corner and gasped. There, arching gloriously across the storm grayed sky shone all seven colors of a rainbow - the first one I'd seen since leaving New Mexico (where such things were a common occurrence). As I continued on my journey home, I began to see that it was much larger than I had originally realized, so I stopped and took a picture and was reminded what beauty can follow a storm.

After a moment of enjoying the beauty before me, I drove on towards home. As I rounded the next bend, I was again taken aback as I realized that this was not just a strip of color, but a full rainbow reaching across the sky seemingly from my house to the distant horizon. I stopped again and stared and was reminded that my God keeps His promises.

As I turned towards home, I lost sight of the rainbow and felt as if I was passing up a precious gift. So, I pulled a u-turn and drove toward the setting sun, hoping to find a better vantage point to enjoy the prismatic colors. As I drove, I realized that anyone approaching from that direction could not see the vibrant streaks of color. As I reversed and again caught sight of my rainbow, I realized that on my drive home I had been uniquely positioned to enjoy the beauty God had set before me.

People driving west must have wondered what that girl was doing on the side of the one lane country road staring at the sky with an ear-to-ear grin that grew even wider as the rainbow doubled for a moment before starting to fade with the setting sun. They could not see the beauty overhead or feel the glory that comes with those thin places where Heaven seems not so far away. And it was only by God's grace that I could - simply because I was where He wanted me at that moment. I didn't see it coming, didn't plan for it and certainly didn't make it happen. But, because I was there, looking up after the storm, I caught a glimpse of the hand of my great, promise-keeping God.