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I grew up in the Midwest, Missouri to be specific, so I saw rainbows from the time I was little. But they were infrequent, around only long enough to be briefly enjoyed.
Since I moved to Hawaii, however, I have seen many rainbows. In the last three years here, I’ve probably seen ten times more rainbows than I’d seen in the preceding 30 years. Being a curious person, I’ve done an informal study of rainbows since I see them so often. Now, this is by no means a scientific study, only some conclusions from my own observations, but I think rainbows can teach us a lot about life.
First, did you know that rainbows are biggest early in the morning and late in the day? In fact, you will not see a rainbow at mid-day. It’s all a matter of relationship to the sun. And isn’t that like life. In our youth and our old age, we are much more inclined to be closer to the Son, to see the spiritual side of life. In our middle years, we get so involved with living, that too often we don’t really see the wonders around us.
And, did you know that if you’re looking at the sunrise or sunset, you can’t see rainbows? They will be behind you! The sun shines through the raindrops, creating the rainbow, so if you stare into the sun, you won’t see the rainbows.
So too, we can be so spiritually focused that we are no earthly good. We can spend all our time in church, with Christians, our family, etc, and not see where the Son is pointing. We will miss the wonders of evangelism if we don’t occasionally put the Son to our back, knowing He’s there, but looking for the “raindrops” (unbelievers) that He wants to shine through and make rainbows with.
Double rainbows are my favorites. But did you know that the second one is a mirror image of the first? It’s backwards, red to red on the rainbows.
Think of yourself as the first rainbow. You are strong and bright, getting your color from the Son at the optimum angle. Anyone who tries to reflect off you, however, will be weaker and backwards. You must point them directly to Jesus. He’s the one that makes the rainbows, not you!
And did you know that rainbows are predictable? I discovered this fact when we moved into our current home. Afternoons in the summer, I can lay on my bed, and every rainy-ish day, I will see the left side of the rainbow through my window. (And since we live on the edge of the mauka showers area, that’s almost every afternoon!)
Isn’t that just like Jesus? He’s the same, yesterday, today and forever. The more you get to know him, the easier it is to find Him!
Broken rainbows kind of make me sad. I always want to see the whole thing, filled in and shining brightly. But there needs to be millions of tiny raindrops working together for the complete rainbow. If some are missing, the rainbow is incomplete.
The body of believers is like that. No matter how brightly you or your church shines, if you don’t connect to the rest of the body, you’re only a partial rainbow.
And, finally, no matter how beautiful rainbows are, we too often ignore them. We get so used to seeing them, that we hardly even glance their way. When is the last time you just stood and enjoyed a rainbow?
We get that way with Jesus too. When we first know him, we are so excited. We are breathless with every glimpse of him. But we lose our wonder over time. We follow him, we trust him, we know he’s there, but we don’t stop to enjoy him.
Like rainbows, we cannot exist without the Son. So, take some lessons from the rainbow. Learn how to let Jesus use you to the best effect.
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