Colourful Promises

After yet another hiatus I'm back. It's been a mad month of craziness and appointments and some isolation with a common cold. But in today's circumstances, you can never be too careful. I hope you're all well though.

A couple of weeks ago I sat on my couch on a rainy Sabbath afternoon and looked out the window at the most beautiful rainbow I've ever seen. Most people have seen a double rainbow before, but they're always such an exciting sighting. This rainbow however, was a quadruple rainbow! Yes, you read that right.

I'd spent most of the week at home with my sick little girl. It was a big week for us. I think she was teething, she'd had a fever, was lethargic, wasn't sleeping well, had a cold, a rash, and I'm still not convinced of what it was. Add to that my downfall with a cold, the dermatitis on my hands flaring up something shocking with an infection of some sort. Well, suffice to say we were not going to church. Thankfully my mother in law came on Friday to tidy up the house a bit and let me rest, while she occupied the little girl. Sabbath, Marcus stayed home with us and cooked and played with Sage while I read, napped and just had a break. I think I've been running full steam ahead for months so when a little cold hit and my immune system was down, well I came down with a thud.

So as I sat on the couch and looked out the window at the sight before me, in my stillness I examined that rainbow. I wish the photo I took did it justice, but the best camera I've got is an iPhone. You can see from the picture the bright rainbow, the lighter one above it. But what you can't see is the tiny slivers of two additional rainbows touching the underside of the bright one. If you simply glanced at it you'd have just seen the two.

To me, that sign on sign on sign on sign was God speaking His promises and protection over me. It was a reminder that, as in the time of Noah, God promised protection and provision to His people, He was once again promising that He has me. I don't have to work, work, work. I don't have to serve, serve, serve. I don't have to do more than simply be in His presence as I go through my day. It was also a gentle reminder to take time to rest. To take the pressure off. To find space to be filled by Him, so that from His fullness, I can pour into the lives of others.

If ever you see a rainbow, I wonder if you'll pause to consider what God is communicating to you through it. Yes, there's science behind a rainbow. But there's also a great God, behind the science. And He's also behind you. And in front of you. And next to you. And He's with you. He promised.

N.