Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Pop Quiz: Draw the sun. Now, draw a star. And, finally, draw a rainbow.

Was your sun round? Did your star have 5 points? And was your rainbow like an upside-down U? Or did you draw circles for all three? The answer may surprise you, but it depends on your perspective.

As you might remember from your elementary school science class, the sun is a star. We learn to draw a simple landscape with a circle-shaped sun as kids. And, when we learn to draw stars, we draw a “twinkly” five-pointed object. The distance between our sun and other stars in the cosmos blurs the round conciseness of that circle.

Maybe I was asleep in science class the day we learned about rainbows. But when a pilot friend sent me this picture out his airplane window, it blew my mind! It was unlike any rainbow I'd ever seen, and I could hardly understand it.

My friend said that sometimes, when you fly up high enough, you can see the whole circle of the rainbow. What?!? Rainbows are CIRCLES, too! When we stand on the earth, a rainbow gets cut off, appearing as if it stops on the horizon. But with an elevated perspective, the full glory of the rainbow comes into view.

This image kept coming to mind as I prayed over the next few weeks. How often are we sidetracked by the rain, the storm, our limited perspective, or chasing the “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow? I know it happens to me daily! I’m mired by work details, trying to achieve a particular goal, taking care of my family, and completing a long to-do list of chores. I forget to step back and see God’s bigger picture and purpose for my life.

And, more importantly, there is no end to a rainbow. As a circle, God’s promises and love are INFINITE as well. We cannot begin to fathom the extent of God’s love that is abounding, not just over and above us, but in ways seen and unseen, all around and encompassing us.

We can learn so much from God’s creation of the rainbow. Even through the sorrows and rains of life, when we can’t see the fullness of God’s glory or comprehend the whole picture from our earthly perspective, we have the hope of that Eternal Light. Sunlit rain reflects God’s rainbow of love infinitely around us.

May we be blessed with knowing that God’s love is infinitely more immense and significant than we can imagine, and let us strive to embody Jesus’s loving perspective to all those around us.