Hiking in the mountains on a beautiful day is invigorating, but also a bit exhausting for a senior, or even for a thirty-year-old. You drop on a ledge to catch your breath. Sunscreen has been applied to avoid pain upon your return to flat land.
Suddenly a mild breeze ruffles your hair, some clouds darken the sky, and rain drops begin to fall. As you gaze into the distance, you smile. Peeking out around the edge of the hillside is that beautiful sight promised to Noah so many years ago. A rainbow brightens your day.
You grab your phone for a quick photo, as you remember God’s covenant made with Noah following his several month boat ride with seven family members and a load of animals. “Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the sign of the covenant . . . I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant” (Genesis 9:12-13a).
Daily we walk with people experiencing life flooded with grief, pain, worry, loneliness, or debt. They are depressed, angry, or in tears. Maya Angelou makes a wonderful suggestion. She challenges, you, the friend or observer, to take action. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
Kathryn Ransom 