Today was a winter drawn day. Father Sky sketched an overcast melted vanilla sky, thick and full of fresh coconut colored clouds and they kept the sun hidden all day. We had a mist late afternoon. I went outside walking with Penelope and imagined the mist was sleet. The only perk about winter for me is the chance to see some snowflakes. January is usually the snowiest in Alabama according to research.

No sunset today that was visible. Mother Nature painted her magnificent sun setting pageant, hidden behind the clouds, not worrying about who would see her masterpiece of brush strokes in ribbon candy colors. Like I’ve said before, she paints her glorious end of the day for God, spreading his message of another beautiful day following this day, ending the day in a glorious burst of color as the sun wakes the night. Father Sky probably had a hard time dragging the moon and the stars out from their thick vanilla cloud covers tonight.

I’ve been reading about rainbows today inspired by a photo my oldest son took once in Key West, Florida, of a glorious double rainbow. I was wondering if the double rainbow colors are always in the same order. A rainbow’s colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. If you are lucky enough to see a double rainbow, you’ll see the colors are reversed. It’s been years since I’ve seen a double rainbow. I was so excited I didn’t notice the colors being reversed on the second rainbow. I think the colors are always in the same order on the single rainbow’s arches but since we all see colors differently that might not be true. It thrills me to see a rainbow arched across the sky. Dieter F. Uchtdort wrote, “How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God for the rain.” True words.

A rainbow is a spot of hope and beauty in this fast paced sometime cruel world, a prize God sends to let us know the storms are over and we’re safe in his arms. God told Noah the rainbow in the sky was a sign for his family and all the Earth’s creatures that he would never again cover the Earth with the waters of a flood. God said, “I establish my covenant with you: never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” A glorious rainbow is a visual reminder of God’s love.

Lord Byron wrote beautifully about a rainbow. “Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” Our lives are like a rainbow. A rainbow needs rain and sun to make the arch of colors appear in the heavens. Life as well needs days of dark storms and days of bright sun. You can’t appreciate the rainbows in your life till you’ve weathered the storms. We can think of God as our rainbow, streaming down the colors of happiness and joy after the dark clouds of troubles and disheartenment in our lives are washed away and burned off by the light of his love.

Rainbows remind us we are living in a magical world with endless possibilities. We choose our paths in life but God will steer us down the correct path if our faith is strong enough to let him guide us. When we walk down the wrong path or choose a difficult path, God can remove the obstacles that block our paths through our prayers and thanksgiving. If you stay attentive to your faith during life trials and tribulations, you’ll feel God bringing rainbows into your life. They might not be visibly arched across the sky but they will be etched upon your heart.

“Shine your soul with the same egoless humility as the rainbow and no matter where you go in this world or the next, love will find you, attend you, and bless you.” ― Aberjhani