Rainbows after Storms

Earlier this month, my family and I vacationed in Michigan, and had a wonderful time visiting with my grandparents. Most of the things that happened while we were visiting were happy, such as visiting several museums or geocaching. However, on Sabbath night, something not-so-fun happened.

The weather had predicted a 70% chance of thunderstorms during the day and night, though during the day we hadn't gotten much. A little bit before 7pm, the sky started to get really dark. The rains came, the wind blew, and we were in the middle of a rip-roaring thunderstorm! In my mind, there are two kinds of thunderstorms: scary ones, and really scary ones. This storm was a really scary one. The lightning flashed all around, and the thunder answered almost constantly. Then my dad heard a snap--lightning had hit part of Grandpa's house. Then we started smelling smoke. Dad and Grandpa went to investigate, and found that an electric mechanism was the culprit. They tore it apart, and put out the fire...I don't for sure know that there was fire in the mechanism, but I do know that there was a ton of smoke in the house for a while!

After a while, the rain and thunder and lightning passed, and a beautiful evening ensued. A beautiful rainbow arched the sky, and a distinct, bright red color was all over the horizon as the sun set. It was a very tranquil setting, but I appreciated it much more knowing what had come before.

You know, I've been thinking about that experience and how it relates to our spiritual walk. Just like the thunderstorm, we have "storms" and tough times in our spiritual lives, too. At times it can be hard. But three things can help us in this situation. First, knowing that the tough thing we're facing probably won't last forever. Now that's not to say that more tough things will come, but any particular tough thing has a good chance of not lasting forever. Second, we can have the reassurance that Jesus is always with us, no matter what, through thick and thin! See what He says in Matthew 28:20--

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Finally, when a tough thing comes to a close, there will most likely be a beautiful thing. Now this beautiful thing might not be a huge thing, but little things are important too. In other words, there are rainbows after storms.

I don't know about you, but knowing these things helps me get through tougher times. Isn't it wonderful to know that Jesus is always with us?