When You See a Rainbow

To see a rainbow, you need sunlight and raindrops. Like glass prisms, raindrops break sunlight into different colors and reflect that light to make a rainbow. Some say that rainbows come after the storm. While that is true, it is also true that rainbows can appear during a storm. 

What is a storm? It is different for everyone. It can come as a literal storm of hurricane proportions, a tsunami, an earthquake, a tornado. Look around. Storms of the literal sense are raging everywhere around the globe. But storms can mean other things. They can take the name cancer, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, bankruptcy, infidelity, death, grief, and so much more.

According to the Bible, after God shut the floodgates of the Great Flood, he told Noah that he would put a rainbow in the sky to serve as a reminder that never again would he destroy the entire earth by a flood.

The rainbow was and still is a reminder of God’s patience toward a fallen world. It reminds me of His faithfulness, mercy, grace, and peace. The One who fights for us in our storms hung up his bow in the sky and promised humanity that never again would He send a flood to destroy the earth. He didn’t need the reminder. We did.

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When the storms in my life threaten to take me out to a raging, wild sea that causes me to fear for my life, it is sometimes easy to feel God has forgotten me and has left me to drown. But then the skies part just a teensy-weensy bit, and what do I see? Raindrops. Millions of raindrops and one humongous, beautiful, gorgeous rainbow.

You can’t view a rainbow unless the sun is behind you. The light has to break through the prism of raindrops so a rainbow can be seen. And so it does. The light of the sun breaks through those raindrops that have been pounding hard upon us, trying mercilessly to break us down and leave us feeling hopeless. When the light passes through those drops of rain, it bends to create a beautiful rainbow.  

How many times have you seen a rainbow, awestruck by its beauty, and seemed to feel better? Because the raindrops are always “moving,” the way we see the rainbow is constantly changing. And as two people cannot occupy the same place in space at the same time, everyone sees a different rainbow, our personal promises.

There may still be clouds of illness hovering above. Death, sickness, and hopelessness may be having a field day with us or someone we love. There may be rain pouring down into our lives, but if we look, we will find a rainbow. There, we will find peace.

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Note: Parkinson’s News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Parkinson’s News Today or its parent company, Bionews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Parkinson’s disease.