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Jesus is in the Rainbow

Truck Car Driving Road Road Rainbow Mountains
Photo by calvin chou on Unsplash

by Ron Raynes

February 1, 2022

I believe there is just one condition for harmony with the Divine: that we labor to love one another. After five decades of trying my best, I have come to trust in the Grace of God and not in my own ability to check all the boxes to be a perfect show for others. What a relief that is! I believe all of us are worthy, as is, of the love of God. Sometimes we’re a hot mess, but we can all have those moments when Grace is given us to forgive, to lift others and to heal ourselves. I feel this Grace more within my reach as I journey as a disciple of the inclusive Jesus, the One who lived in the intersection of oppressed humanity and an intolerant religious culture at odds with basic human needs and rights.

We each have our unique adventures with the Divine. Each of us will have crossroads of decisions to make and then to act upon through the decades of our lives. I urge us to embrace the crossroads…to go through those intersections of conflict, doubt and fear…with hope and love. It takes courage and resolve to march ourselves on through the journey of our decisions, not knowing if or when we’ve reached the endpoint. But I believe it will always work out if we feel aligned and illuminated with the love, justice and peace of Jesus, even in the midst of turmoil.

A few months ago I learned a lesson from a rainbow. Let me explain: the afternoon was stormy and I was downtown for a prior commitment or I probably wouldn’t have ventured out. As l left the safety of the warm building I was in, I was confronted with a dark sky, gusts of wind, flying debris and pelting rain as I hurried back to my car (without a coat)! Drenched and driving back towards home, gripping the wheel to not be blown off the road, I could see sunlight and blue sky on the far western horizon. Eventually, as I got out from underneath the stormfront, I looked back on that threatening darkness which had covered me and I discovered a most glorious rainbow, all brightly lit up against a backdrop of black clouds! I paused. God’s spirit quietly spoke in a realization that the rainbow, the love token of God, is always found at the intersection of light and stormy reality. Do you ever see rainbows shining in clear sunny skies? No. It takes both rain and unobstructed light to make a rainbow. No matter how dark the storm, the sun never stops shining on its surface. Light simply waits to break through the gaps. And another thing: God doesn’t ask us to suffer and stay under the storm. As we move away from darkness and towards a lighted horizon, we can find our safe space. There may be rain, wind and flying debris in the journey away from oppression and conflict. But if we’re looking for the rainbow, we’ll recognize God’s colors when we see them. We’ll know we’re at the divine edge, at that transition point where God illuminates with a spectrum of sacred wavelengths, when we realize new perspectives breaking forth from where there was once only darkness and discomfort.

How might God be inviting you today into new spiritual ventures? The answer to this question comes in many ways for people of hope…mine was found unexpectedly in a rainbow. Listen to that Spirit which brings you insight and peace. I offer my testimony that Jesus lives and works in the rainbow, at the storm’s edge. As you venture “Out” through turmoil, make some space in the clouds for Christ’s light to shine through, and then look for your shining rainbow against the backdrop of a dark and dreary world! It will be there to cheer you on.

This article was submitted by an Affirmation community member. The opinions expressed are wholly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Affirmation, our leadership, or our staff. Affirmation welcomes the submission of articles by community members in accordance with our mission, which includes promoting the understanding, acceptance, and self-determination of individuals of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and our vision for Affirmation to be a refuge to land, heal, share, and be authentic.

1 Comment

  1. Anonymous on March 2, 2022 at 3:35 AM

    Thanks

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