The Rainbow

Posted on by

IMG_9650

“God is always good and I am always loved.”  ~Ann Voskamp
http://www.onethousandgifts.com

I have this quote posted in my kitchen.  I believe this but sometimes I forget it…the times that I am struggling, the moments of sadness or stress, the days of discomfort or weariness.    When I start to dwell too much on the hardships or trials, I find myself drifting away from this truth.  Life can be hard and moments can be trials.  But, through it all I do believe that “God is always good and I am always loved.”

It helps me to count the good things, to write down the gifts, to focus on the blessings and thank God for them.  One of my very favorite books is “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp.  She was challenged by a friend to write down one thousand things she loved.

On page 45, she says, “On a whim, a dare, I scratch it down:  Gift List.  I begin the list.  Not of gifts I want but of gifts I already have…That is the beginning and I smile.  I mean, they are just the common things and maybe I don’t even know they are gifts really until I write them down and that is really what they look like.  Gifts He bestows.  This writing it down–it is sort of like…unwrapping love.”

I too began this challenge and it has been one of the best ways I know to remind myself of His goodness and love…to keep reminding myself so I don’t forget.  Taking the time to write down the blessings has helped me worry less and thank Him more.  I have been keeping this list for over five years now and although I may not write the gifts down daily, this simple routine has helped me greatly.  In the hard moments and difficult days, my mind goes back to counting the blessings and noticing the gifts He’s given me.  My mom also kept a journal of gifts.

I wanted to share with you the details of a God-given gift that happened recently.  My dad and my mom celebrate birthdays 6 days apart.  Without mom here now, the week is somewhat bittersweet and especially hard for Dad.   This year we celebrated his 75th birthday! We gathered all together with extended family to celebrate the gift of him.  We sang “Happy Birthday” and he blew out the candles.  A few raindrops had begun to fall…it was dripping lightly on us from above.  Moments after we sang to him, the sun came out and a glorious rainbow appeared in the sky.  This rainbow had the entire color spectrum and even turned into a double rainbow toward the end as it faded away.

Some might say, it was just a combination of sun and rain that came together at the same time to form a rainbow.  I believe it was an extra-special gift from God, sent at a perfect moment with precision timing.  Dad had been especially sad having to celebrate this monumental birthday without his bride by his side.  I don’t know exactly how things work between heaven and earth. But, I do believe that God knew exactly how to show us His love and help us feel close to her at a very special moment.  Maybe she got to see this amazing gift and even got to see the tears of joy that fell from our faces as we gazed up into the sky?  Either way, I am grateful!

Thank you God for the gift of this rainbow, the colorful reminder of your promises and your love.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  ~James 1:17

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” ~Psalm 9:1

 

26 thoughts on “The Rainbow”

  1. What a wonderful thing to happen! Thank you so much for sharing. Happy Birthday to your dad!

    I have seen two amazing rainbows so far this summer and each came at a time when I needed a reminder that God keeps His wonderful promises!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  2. I am so thankful for that awesome reminder of God’s love by such an awesome display of HIS continued care for you. That rainbow is so significant in so many ways. His perfect love for us, as individuals, is so overwhelming. Your gathering sounded like the perfect day and I love how HE loved on all of you. I feel sure you dad’s special celebration was relayed perfectly between here and Heaven. Happy ’75th’ Birthday to your dad.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  3. Wow what a blessing…and gift! Whenever I think of rainbows I think of Roy G. Biv and the pot of gold at the end…lol! Now I see it in a different light. Thank you. I can only imagine how difficult it’s been for all of you. I admire your strength Amy. 🌈

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  4. I remember praying for God to show me a rainbow to remind me of His promise of restoration. Every time it rained, I’d go out an look longingly toward the sky… but nothing. At the time, I thought restoration looked one way and was waiting for His assurance in the sky that my way had His approval, but in His wisdom, He knew better and did a lot of work in my heart that changed my perspective. Once it was altered to match His desires… 17 months later… He showed me that beautiful bow in the sky! Thanks for sharing your story!

    Like

    Reply ↓

    • Karen, so nice to hear from you! God is so in the details, even when we aren’t sure about it. It is wonderful when He shows up just when we need Him the most! Blessings to you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  5. A beautiful Heart response Amy to God’s awesome Creation of the Rainbow. I also really appreciated your sharing about keeping a list of Thank you’s to God for all His Blessings, this is a wonderful idea and yes as you shared will bring much Joy and Peace, Thank you.

    Christian Love and Blessings – Anne.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  6. Happy birthday to your father! I love looking outside and seeing a rainbow. It always seems to make me reflect on the things God has given me or the promises He has spoken into my life. Thank you for your words, we’re neighbors today at #TellHisStory Linkup.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  8. Amy, your like button does not work for me, so wanted to thank you for your comments on my blog and for your post here. I look forward to reading more of yours. Years ago I did a journal of daily praises. I had to finally stop making a list. There were so many I did not have time for everything else I needed to do. Now, my days consist of continual vocal praises, which are entertaining for my husband. The Lord’s goodness is constant, even in the middle of trials and misunderstandings. Blessings as you continue to note HIs gifts.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  9. Oh Amy I do believe God gave you all a blessing. I just read today how we should look at the beauty of nature that surrounds us and know that God is ever present and communicates with us and to be thankful for these gifts. In my minds eye I see your Mom smiling down at everyone. Such a special friend. Many blessings to you and thanks for sharing your gift of writing.

    Diane

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  12. I remember an especially difficult time that i went through a few years ago and with “precision timing”, God sent a rainbow too. Not when I asked for it, but exactly when I needed it. I’m with you in that I don’t often understand how things work between heaven and earth, but I do know that when God wants to get a message to us, He will! Thanks for your story!

    Like

    Reply ↓

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Google photo

You are commenting using your Google account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s