Tracing Rainbows

Photo by Laura Kee Clouse

Do children know eight colors on a pallet hold promise of rainbows? Our grandkids do. Their eyes fill with excitement when they open the paintbox, dab wet brushes into teetering water cups, smoosh bristles over and over onto colors, and stroke paint across otherwise plain sheets of paper. I cringe and imagine the mess, but they don't. They paint butterflies, flowers, animals, and rainbows. Mostly rainbows. I'm glad my grandkids create rainbows. They're lives haven't been rainbow-makers, yet they pull from these colorful ovals great beauty. 

Photo by Michelle L. Smallwood

Did my friend know, when she rounded a rocky curve on miserably rainy day, God would surprise her with this gift? So stunned she was that she jerked to the shoulder of the road, threw her car into park, found her camera, and captured this wonder. God not only painted the rainbow in the sky but also the smile on her face. This friend played an important part in our son's life, helping him trace rainbows in his storms. She knew how. She's traced rainbows before.

Photo used with permission.

Did this mom and her soul-mate glimpse a rainbow when doctor's shared news their child would face storms, as would they? Did she imagine then her arms were filled with promised joy, God's paint already having dried?

And how about the gentleman who penned the hymn below? He couldn't even see rainbows. His finance' had refused to marry him, knowing he was going blind; and then his care-giver sister married, leaving him alone.

O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.
O Light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine's blaze its day my brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow thru the rain, and feel the promise is not vain, that morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms
red life that shall endless be.*

Do I forget the rainbows when facing storms, even though I know my great God certainly paints them? So often I miss the joy until I round the next corner, and I fail to acknowledge the love of He who promised there'd be one. I'm such a slow-learner. 

Rainbow-Maker, Love, Light, Joy, and yes, Cross-bearer ~ Thank you for holding my hand and helping me trace what I cannot see without You. May I wait brush in hand so that, when the next storm arises, I'll not wallow but rather sweep color-filled arched-strokes onto the gray pallet and behold the rainbow You've already painted. In the precious Name of Jesus, Amen.

*Hymn O LOVE THAT WILT NOT LET ME GO ~ Lyrics by George Matheson (1842-1906) ~ Public Domain

 

Something God Cannot Do

I love to play Scrabble ~ perhaps inheriting this from Mom who, back in the day, became my rival whenever the crossword game hit the table. No nurturing there. Game on!

Times have changed. Mom's gone. I now play on-line with other folk. The tougher the opponent, the better. With these die-hard Scrabblers I must scrutinize every move, realizing one mistake can cost a win.

Ah! I study my rack of A, I, M, L, G, D, F tiles. My opponent plays A-C-T. Opportunity! I place my F on the triple letter spot followed by A-I-L. FAIL. FACT. A whoppin' 32. Then I think, That's something God cannot do ~ Fail. 

As a girl I believed that, and over the decades since I questioned just once. My premise: God was either Who He said He was or He was the biggest egomaniac Who ever lived. Yes, this sounds terribly irreverent; and if I'd truly contemplated the second thought, then I would have been the egomaniac. Ones who've questioned God and determined to prove Him wrong, using His Word to do so, have found they were in gross error.

This Book of books has not been disproved. With there being no error in His Word, everything He claimed to be is true. He Himself is Truth. Thus, He states Who He is and gives promises that will not be broken because He cannot fail.

"...He never fails..." Zephaniah 3:5 NKJV Because The Bible is The Word of Truth Himself speaking to us, I know He doesn't fail. He never will. And so I can rest in Him when calamity hits, as it often does. I can hope in Him Who is Hope. And Hope does not disappoint.

So if you thought God could do everything, you're wrong. He cannot FAIL. That's FACT. And that's HOPE ~ also a great Scrabble word!

And Oh So Much More

I don't know about you, but I've stepped into 2013 with fear and trepidation. And although I know I should not be worried, I am. God knew I would be from time to time. He's told me in His Word. He also promised to be my stay, strong tower, refuge, comfort, peace, presence, and oh so much more.

The world we face spirals downward. The depravity of man surrounds us. We could be consumed, yet God is our all-in-all, ever-present help, shepherd, guide, light, and oh so much more.

Today as I write, this Scripture comforts...

...do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ... And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field ... will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious ... your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow wil be anxious for itself. Matthew 6:25-34 ESV

We face troubled times, ruled by ones who do not honor God. Still, Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. This sovereign, benevolent Ruler will care for our needs. He's promised.

May I, instead of facing tomorrow with fear, seek first God's Kingdom~casting away all that is worrisome. For then I will focus on God Who is my provider, joy, hope, best friend, anchor, and oh so much more.