Then The Rainbow Comes

“We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way….as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing…”

2 Corinthians 6:3-4,10

I love the sun. I was born in Sunny California. My mom calls me, “Sunshine.” Some of my favorite flowers are sunflowers, and I adore that warm, yellow color. It’s cheerful, hopeful, and beautiful all in one. I just love the sun.

I also love the rain. I love the coolness of the day. I love the scent that comes with rain, the sound of it. There is a comfort of a blue-gray sky when I’m in the safety of my cozy corner at home. And I especially love how the grass looks Ireland-green on a stormy day. I see the beauty of storms and rainy days, too.

There was a time in my life where I was going through a difficult season. Can we all relate as human beings that we all go through challenging times? In this particular season, I was doing everything in my power to be 'sunny,' to be okay! NO RAIN! "I'm fine!" I did not want to process what happened. The sadness was overwhelming, yet I didn’t want to confront it - which made it hurt all the more.

Submitting and surrendering what I knew I could to God helped make the days better; yet, I still needed to embrace the reality of the difficult season. I couldn't ignore it anymore. I needed to submit all of my emotions over to God and believe what He had to say.

So, I confessed. I said to God that I really, really, really did not want to feel sorrowful. This pain hurt, and I wanted to go straight to rejoicing again. I told Him, “I feel like a raincloud when I’m supposed to be sunshine. I just want to be sunshine again.”

Then, I heard God gently say to me:

“Tori, it is okay to have both the sunshine and the rain.

When there is both, then the rainbow comes.”

Rainbows only appear when the light of the sun shines through the water droplets in the sky, thus a beautiful prism of colors is displayed, typically during a storm. The rainbow is God’s covenant with Noah, a promise to His people. The sign of His faithfulness and hope of life.

I’m reminded of the Pixar movie, Inside-Out. There is a moment in the movie where Bing Bong loses something special to him and Riley - a wagon that they built into an imaginary rocket that would take them to the moon together. Joy tries to get Bing Bong to feel okay by tickling him, making silly faces, and trying to play a game to keep moving forward.

But Sadness has a different approach. She sits with him. She is present. She acknowledges what Bing Bong and Riley had was special. Bing Bong cries. And when he has his moment and the tears subside, the three of them are able to move forward in their journey. What an eye-opening scene.

God broke through to me that day, letting me know that it is okay to be sad. It is okay to not be okay. It is okay to grieve. It’s necessary to pause and process the difficult times in our lives. God gave us emotions, and He has emotions, too. This doesn’t mean we wallow in our sorrow. But, it doesn’t mean we can’t feel sorrow at all. Paul writes that as believers we can and are commended to be “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” What an amazing truth that no matter what we go through, we can hold onto God’s promise and have joy amidst the sorrow.

In the beautiful picture of the sunshine, rain, and rainbow, I will always remember how God told me that He loves me and that His faithfulness and hopeful promises are most evident in the times when we combine suffering and joy.

God cares about you.

Sometimes our default response to difficult circumstances can be to wallow or to suppress. Both of these are extremes and are not very healthy. Don't kick your emotions out of the car, but don't let them drive either. God’s Word says that we are commended as believers to have both sorrow and joy.

Another name for Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us.”Jesus is with us! He meets us right where we are at - in the pain, in the heartache, in the brokenness. He meets us right there. And He loves us right there. And He lifts us up, gives us hope, helps us keep moving forward. He loves us and does not overlook our pain; yet, He loves us too much to let us stay there because He came to give us life and life abundantly.

This is certain:

We live in a fallen world. We will go through times of suffering (especially as believers and followers of Christ). BUT God has graciously given us the gift of His Presence and His Word to help us in these short years of pain. We can endure! We can learn! We can have a different perspective than the world has. We have confident HOPE in Christ and what He did for us. We have PEACE. We have JOY!

In the rainstorm and the sunshine - in the suffering and the joy - then the rainbow comes.

I pray and encourage you in your times of hardship and suffering to know that Jesus is with you, He loves you, and His hopeful promise is shining for you. He will not waste your pain.

God, I thank You that You are near to the brokenhearted. I thank You that amidst sorrow we can always rejoice because of our hope in the Living Hope! Thank You for Your promises and that You are forever faithful. Father, I pray in the Name of Jesus that Your Spirit of love, peace, joy, and comfort would wash over any and everyone reading this. Renew their strength and confidence in you. I pray that they see Your rainbow in their storm - that they truly look to You for hope and truth no matter what they face. Let Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Ask the Holy Spirit:

What are You saying to me?

Is there a situation in my life where I haven’t processed the sorrow?

Is there an area of my life I need to see Your rainbow?

Great resources:

• John Piper (Ask Pastor John Podcast Episode, “Living the Mystery of Joy and Suffering”)

• Inside-Out movie (really demonstrates the power of sadness and joy together)