Here a Rainbow, There a Rainbow

I remember one time I was out picking berries with my mom. We were scattered about, walking on the spongy tundra that sank at least half a foot when you walked on it. It had been a rainy day that day. It was kind of gray outside, but at that moment the rain had stopped and the bright sun shone above us.

As we walked along, squishing down on the tundra, I looked up and saw part of a rainbow. I called to the rest of my family and had them look up at the rainbow. It was only a partial rainbow. I told my mom that I had never seen a whole rainbow before. I had never seen the whole arch of a rainbow. Within an instant, of me saying that, Bam! A whole rainbow appeared in the sky for me to see. God wanted me to see His handiwork. I was in awe of the whole thing.

I was really young that day, that God showed me His rainbow. But it did something to me. When I had said, I’d never seen a whole rainbow and instantly, a whole one appeared, bright and big right before my eyes, there was a sense of how real God is. I couldn’t touch Him, I never heard His voice, I couldn’t see Him. But I could see His handiwork. I could see the rainbow. And God showed it to me whole and big.

Who was I to get to see God at work like that? I was just a little kid, trudging along in my rain boots, across the squishy tundra. I was no theologian. I hadn’t saved lives. I fought with my brother and sister on a regular basis. I’m sure my mom could vouch for the many times I disobeyed her. So why me? How come God was listening to a little kid who hadn’t seen a whole rainbow before? Why did, not seeing a whole rainbow matter to God?

Like I said, the rainbow did something to me. The realness of God hit me smack in the face. God was very real. He heard me, a little kid, asking about His rainbows. A hundred Sunday School classes couldn’t have taught me what I learned that day. I gained knowledge of God that day. It went deep into my soul. God heard a little kid’s comment about not seeing a whole rainbow, so He showed me one. If God cared so much about seeing His rainbows, how much more did He care about everything in our lives? The rainbow gift had huge ramifications on just how big, how caring, how intimate God is with people.

That was the first time God used a rainbow in my life. The second time, I was sitting in my park waiting to go to a meeting with the pastor of our church. To sum it up quickly, we were going to talk to the pastor about our daughter and her Sunday School teacher. He was paying too much attention to her. He did a couple of other things that raised red flags for us. We were going to talk to the pastor, so he was aware that this could be a potential problem. We had already decided to pull her out of Sunday School all together. But as I waited in the park, I was having second thoughts. I really didn’t want to bring this up to the pastor at all. I just wanted to quietly pull our daughter out and be done with it. I didn’t want drama or to cause problems. As I second guessed myself, I prayed quietly and asked God for confirmation that I should do this because I really didn’t want to. Suddenly, on a bright sunny day, rain poured down upon me. It was a quick little rain shower, that quickly left as soon as it appeared. And then, bam! A rainbow shone through the sky. There was that rainbow again. When I saw that rainbow, I knew God had answered my prayer immediately. I was supposed to talk to the pastor. Rats. I was hoping He would say otherwise.

God is so real in our lives. I know there are times, when we don’t see any rainbows, only rain. I’ve had plenty of those times. But the rainbows do come. God wants us to see His rainbows. And just like He listened to a little kid in rain boots who had never seen a whole rainbow, God listens to anyone who will call upon His name. He cares about us.

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for  you,” 1 Peter 5:7