Look for the Rainbows After your Storms

This past week in the Pacific Northwest of Washington (where The Sisterhood Coaching is located), we went through snow, ice, rain and then MAJOR flooding! And now today, Sunday, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and it is beautiful outside! To me, this is a reminder from God to look for the rainbows after we experience storms in our lives.

While in church this morning, our Pastor's son spoke a message about a line in a song that he shared with us..."Rest in the Arms" (a song by Aaron Shust) and he read the scripture that it is based on "Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope come from him." Psalms 62:5. And this prompted me to really think about these storms and how resting in God is the ultimate rainbow, right? No matter what, when we put our trust and faith in God, He will give us our Rainbows.

But what if we don't know what to look for in a Rainbow? Stick with me for a moment...

First of all, are you aware the research psychologists have found that we are all born as optimists or pessimists? Yes, it is true. And if you are someone who is naturally a pessimist, or someone who tends to have a negative outlook in live, you might find more storms to follow. You may believe the worst case scenario will happen and have a negative world view. The good news is, a pessimist can change, and following learned optimism, can actually redesign the way the brain thinks! Even better news, once a pessimist becomes an optimist, they will never become a pessimist again!

There are others, though, that have lived through many storms and recognize them more than rainbows. Too often, I hear my students speak and they tell me about their lives, and my heart breaks when I realize how many struggles they have had to bear. At such young ages, they have not even had the opportunity to truly experience the joy of freedom from such storms or to witness times of live where there is no stress to worry about. Storms seem to constantly batter them, and they remind me of lost ships searching for a lighthouse to guide them. In those moments, I am reminded by God to be a Rainbow for others.

There are others yet, like my sons, who are literally colorblind. My oldest son, Luke, took my breath away as I sobbed at 8 years old when he said "Mom, I can not wait to die and go be in Glory with Jesus!" Gasping, I asked "Why would you say that Luke?!" He calmly and sweetly pointed to a rainbow in the distance and said, "Well, see that rainbow there Mom? I only see two of it's colors. I know there are more. And I can not wait until the day I am with Jesus in Glory to see a rainbow and all it colors the way it should be, when I'll have perfect eyes!" You all, I am sobbing now, even typing this. Not all of us know what rainbows look like, some of us have to imagine, and wait, KNOWING GOD has PERFECT Rainbows waiting for us! And those are smart words from the mouth of a child!

Until then, we CAN be aware of the good that comes out of the adversity we face. In life, it is almost certain we will face hard times.

I'm going to get scientific on your for a moment. In order for a rainbow to appear, there has to be water droplets floating in the air. The sun must be behind you and the clouds must be cleared away from the sun enough for the rainbow to appear. The raindrops are acting as mini prisms, and those prisms are breaking the sunlight in many various colors to create the spectrum. This often happens after a rainstorm! Now, to create the arch of the rainbow is even more scientific involving me explaining how it is an electromagnetic reflected in different angles and actually somewhat of an optical illusion, but let's not get stuck on that! Let's just focus on the part that a rainbow is created out of needing to have that rainstorm first!

When thinking about what to tell you all about WHAT to do or HOW to find those rainbows, the first thing that truly came to mind (and I know you will cringe!) is to simply just LET IT GO!

Yes, Let it go. Remember in Disney's Frozen when Elsa went out into the snowstorm and sang "Let It Go" and grew happier and happier as she began growing more confident with who she was? Yes, THAT. That is what needs to be done after a storm in your life. It can feel SO difficult, I know it, yet when you can just let it go, and move on, shed the past and be confident with where you are now, you will feel a million times better. Everything will seem bright and shiny. I have personally done this several times in my life, (so I know it's not easy to just "LET IT GO", but wow, when you do) the weight just comes off your shoulders!

Finally, it is also important to remember why God created the rainbow for us. The Rainbow was a promise to Noah, way back in Genesis 9:9-14, that God would never again destroy the earth with a great flood for the judgement of sin. The Rainbow shows God's Glory, His grace and His faithfulness. When we see a rainbow, we should be reminded about God's awesomeness, remember to always have faith in Him, and to never forget He is ALWAYS with us, walking with us through every storm and He promises us Rainbows are to come!

To finish up, I want to leave you with one of my favorite songs at this time. I love music...this song is written and performed by Kasey Musgraves. When asked why she wrote it, she explains she wrote it for herself as a reminder to have hope during dark times (after reading a horoscope!) and to allow the weight off her shoulders. I find it the perfect way to end today's blog, because sister, don't you know? There's always a Rainbow hanging over your head.

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