Rainbows always give me hope. In the Old Testament, when Noah saw the rainbow in the sky after the Great Flood, it was the sign that it was safe to emerge from the ark. But it was also a sign that the old world, the only world he had ever known, had been washed away. He would be walking out into a new world that he didn’t know. All of the mess of the old world was gone. The future that was now possible was yet to be revealed. In this way, the rainbow is a transition point, a doorway to new possibilities.
So many of us are hurting right now. So many of us are struggling with addictions and anxiety and stress and emotional exhaustion and traumas. It becomes easy to lose hope. It becomes easy to think we are going to be endlessly stuck in the Great Flood of pain that we are tempted to give up and succumb. I understand that. But it’s never true, because…
Then a rainbow appears. A doorway of hope opens. A friend shows up. A job comes through. An intervention happens. A person offers forgiveness. A treatment works. An unexpected check comes in the mail. A donation is made. Hope becomes REAL.
The part you have to be ready for is this: you have to have the courage to say “yes.” You have to say “yes” to the new world and the new possibilities, to emerge from the ark of pain and loss, grief and unknowing. No one can take that step for you. It’s yours to claim for yourself. It may be the hardest and bravest thing you have ever done in your life.
Here is what I do know: a new and wonderful world awaits us on the other side of pain. God’s promise to us was never that we would live lives free of pain. We are free beings and as such are capable of creating great pain for ourselves and others. God values our freedom enough to tolerate our suffering. God’s promise was that we would never be alone. God is always there, hoping for our healing and our wholeness.
If you are feeling devastated by the mess of the world or the mess of your life, I hope you will keep your eyes aimed toward the sky. The rainbows are there. The new world awaits. You have every reason to hope, if you have the courage to say “yes.”
Do remember: you are not alone. You have people who love you and a God who will never give up on you. With that in your favor, your best days are ahead.
We are in this together,
Cameron