SPOTTING RAINBOWS

I’ve been putting off writing this blog, waiting for the moment when I would catch the perfect photograph to pair with the memory I am about to describe. For months, I’ve been attempting to pin down something that is incredibly elusive in the desert:

A rainbow.

After every, rare rainstorm, I’ve looked to the sky to try and spot the beautiful array of colors, but alas, to no avail. I truly began to wonder if this blog post would ever come to fruition.

But then, an epiphany appeared, instead. Even though it’s mostly an endless sea of blue above where I live, that doesn’t mean that a rainbow won’t appear. That one isn’t just on the horizon, waiting to present itself as the miracle it is. Rather than us waiting for it, it is waiting to be put on display for us.

And that, that incredible truth and inspiring picture, tied into my experience far better than what I had originally planned.

So, though I usually wait until the end to tie my thoughts up with a pretty bow, we are skipping ahead today.

The rainbows are always there, even if we can’t always see them.

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“I can’t do this anymore.” I whispered to the cloudy, rain-covered sky outside my window, even as I continued down the two lane highway that would take me to the temple.

Of course, it wasn’t just the long drive to the temple that I was speaking of, when I displayed my complete and utter lack of faith in myself. No, it wasn’t something much deeper, something that was truly leading me to wonder if the storms in my life would ever cease, or if I would always be surrounded by endless gray.

I was doing my best to act in faith, on both accounts. Despite the deep and utter fear I felt about being trapped in the car with my own, swirling thoughts for a six hour stretch, I was doing it. I was driving to the temple. I was trusting in the promises that had been made to me, that the temple would bring power into my life. His power.

Secondly, I was doing my best to believe. To trust. To hold fast to the truth others were preaching to me each and every Sunday: That He loved me. That He was aware. That the trials plaguing me truly would end, eventually. That He had a plan. That His promises were sure.

It had not felt that way, lately. In fact, it seemed that the harder I tried to come closer to Him, the more difficult things became. I was just so tired. Of trying, of hoping, of believing, of having faith.

But I knew. Somewhere, deep down inside, I knew. I knew I could trust Him.

So, with my tiny shred of faith grasped rightly between my fingers, I kept driving. Kept heading toward the temple. And, then suddenly, in the middle of nowhere NM, my miracle appeared.

Right next to me, through the mists of rain, a rainbow appeared. And not just half of an arch descending from a cloud. No, a total, complete, awe-inspiring rainbow was hanging above the rain-soaked dirt floor.

And, again, with more authority this time, I knew. I knew He was there. I knew it was all going to work out. I could feel Him outlining that truth to me, in each stroke of color He’d painted in the sky for that lone girl venturing into the unknown on that abandoned highway.

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That Saturday morning occurred almost six months ago, but the feeling it carried has stuck with me ever since, and has often been built upon.

This year in our Come Follow Me study, we have been diving into the Old Testament, a book of scripture I openly admit to not being as well-versed in. I, of course, knew the story of Noah and the Ark, and am positive that at some point I was taught of the Lord’s covenant promise being represented by a rainbow. However, whether due to this experience, or just because of a mind that is better at paying attention in Sunday School, that truth finally clicked into place for me.

God made a promise to His people, to the Earth, and He kept it, just as He said He would. Has kept it, since Noah’s time. And every time we see a rainbow, we are reminded of that promise, of how it was kept, and of the Lord’s mercy and love towards us.

We serve an unchanging God, which means when He promises us things, us as His individual children, we can trust that His word truly is sure. And just like the people of Noah’s time, we can look to the rainbow for hope and peace that His covenant with us never will be broken.

However, some of us live in the desert. Some of us find the spotting of rainbows to be few and far between. Some of us only see blue skies, or blue skies that are actually obscuring the dark clouds lurking in the distance. Oftentimes, the beautiful colors are just nowhere to be found.

Or, at least it appears that way. It appears that God is silent, God is not listening, God does not care, when things aren’t changing, or trials drag on, or others receive the blessings you are so desperately praying for. When there appears to be no evidence of the promises God has made, it can be difficult to have faith that they ever will come.

However, I am here to boldly testify that our rainbows are always there, even if we can’t see them yet. Even if the storms continue to beat, with no hope in sight, we can trust that the rainbow will appear. That it is already there, in the blue, blue sky, hanging above us in an arch of protection, love, and pure joy.

We can trust Him, we can trust in that love. We can have hope until we see the rainbow come to fruition. I promise it, will. It has for me. His love is real, and has been from the beginning. since before that very first rainbow.