I’ll never forget the rainbow captured on camera by Richard, the best friend of my brother Greig.
Richard and I happened to both be in Folly Beach, South Carolina, on the same day because we were switching places. He and I had become a tight team of caregivers for Greig, who was hospitalized with acute leukemia.
Greig had been in the hospital for more than three months following a relapse after receiving a perfect bone marrow transplant. A courageous fighter, he kept going in hopes that his condition would stabilize. We, too, tried to stay positive that he would win his battle.
After visiting Greig at the hospital, we dashed into a grocery store before driving to the condo, our temporary headquarters for whichever one of us was on duty.
As we dodged rain puddles in the parking lot on the way to the car, I spotted a rainbow. “Oh, Richard, look! Please take a picture of me in front of it.”
I wanted to preserve that moment. The rainbow that spread across the sky painted hope in my heart for Greig’s recovery. In Genesis 9:13, God declared that a rainbow in the clouds after a rainy day would always be a symbol of His covenant to take care of us.
Those beautiful colors became for me an embrace from God in the darkest time of my life. I wasn’t alone. He was there with me.
God reminded me of His presence on countless days after that, including the moment the phone rang with news for my niece Regan and me that her beloved father and my brother had died. Our hearts broke as we cried together, but we both clung to God, our lifeline. We cherished the time we had sat at his bedside only a few hours before.
Greig now enjoys endless rainbows, along with all the other beauty God has created for him in heaven. I’ll still keep looking for rainbows here on earth, each one God’s unique display at the very moment I need it.
It’s all about perspective, isn’t it?
I could have glanced at the rainbow, quickly climbed into Richard’s car, and nursed a heavy heart on the way back to the condo. Instead, I admired the rainbow in the sky and remembered God’s promise to be with me always. My viewpoint changed. So did my heart.
Are you carrying a heavy burden? Talk to God. There may be no rainbow in sight right now, but God knows exactly what will lighten your spirit and give you hope.
Image by Congerdesign from Pixabay
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