Our life is full of rainbows, just look in the right direction after the rain stops on a sunny day. Usually we get to see one end or the other because trees or buildings get in the way. Many years ago, I was on a tropical island and after the storm and the sun came out, there was a double rainbow out over the water. It was a truly beautiful and wonderful sight. Rainbows are celebrated in poetry and certainly song. I am sure we have all sung "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" to our kids, just as our parents sung it to us. Whether it is the Judy Garland version or the much newer medley by Israel Kamakawio'ole, it is a wonderful song that talks about hope for something or somewhere. There is also the musical, Finian's Rainbow, that debuted on stage in 1947 and was made into a movie in 1968 starring Fred Astaire and Petula Clark. It is full of music and humor and Astaire's character is always looking for that other end of the rainbow, looking for the pot of gold.
When we took General Science in high school, we learned th colors that are in the rainbow by the silly name of ROY G BIV. The letters stand for Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. There is a certain magic in the colors. The Red and Yellow make the Orange, the Yellow and Blue make the Green, and the Blue and Violet make the Indigo. All of those make still more colors, an infinite variety of the visible colors from one end to the other. Don't forget the ones we can't see unaided, the ultraviolet on one end and the infrared on the other.
The physics of light refraction don't change and there have always been rainbows as long as there has been sunlight and rain. However, the best rainbow ever recorded is in Genesis when God showed one to Noah at the end of the period of the great flood and promised him that he, God, would never again destroy the earth with flooding. That promise is but one of many that God has given to us since our creation in his image and likeness. The best promise of all was to give his son to us to save us and redeem us from the sin of Adam and Eve. Twice in the new testament, God the Father announces that Jesus is, "My beloved son in whom I am well pleased". He did it to the multitude who witnessed Jesus' baptism and again on the Mount of Transfiguration. God kept that promise through the horror of the crucifixion and the ascension.
God promised us that we may spend all of eternity with him once our time on Earth is finished. His only request of us is that we serve him faithfully, follow the rules, the commandments, he gave us, and follow the leadership of us son, Jesus. He didn't promise us it would be easy or without trouble or strife. He did promise us he would be there for us to call on when we needed help. Whether that help would be truly miraculous or having the right person come into our life at the right time is up to him. He knows the best way and we who are wise will accept the help he brings.
God may or may not show you his rainbow as the symbol of his promise. He may show you something else of his beauty when you most need it. At the end of the day, what he will show you is his limitless and endless love for you. What more can we want?
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