God typically teaches
me a different lesson each school year or at least each semester. And this past
semester, he made his lesson theme very clear: God is faithful. This was a
theme for the semester because I had many things that were making life a little
crazy. I had to decide on a summer job. My grandpa was diagnosed with cancer
and was soon going to pass away. And it would be my last semester with some
very close friends before their lives took them other places. And these were
only the cherries on top of the disastrous sundae that was comprised of school,
being an RA, and work. It was a very stressful semester at times, but God has
made his message clear. Even in the midst of the craziness of life… he forever
remains the same, he is the solid unchanging rock, he is faithful.
Well my grandpa went
home to Heaven earlier this week. I had just finished with finals and so I
quickly got a few things packed and headed back home as fast as I could so I
could leave with my brother and dad for Nebraska for his funeral. Hearing that
Grandpa had died brought one of those elements of the unknown to a close. And
because I had to rush back home so quickly, I was also forced to face another
one of those unknown elements in the same day. I had to say goodbye to all
those friends that would be moving onto other things in the next semester. It
was hard day, to both accept that Grandpa was no longer here on earth with us
and to also accept that many of these friendships as I had known them would be
changing. I faced these two things that were unknown and scary and I had to do
them in the same day within hours of each other. But I said goodbye to my
friends. They were wonderful as they gathered around and built me up with encouragement
before waving me off on my journey home. And then I started the six hour drive
home.
On the way home
something beautiful happened. I was driving through the mountains of
Pennsylvania when I noticed a rainbow in the sky. But this wasn’t a typical
rainbow spanning across the sky. This rainbow was just kinda peeking out from
behind some clouds. It didn’t make much sense to me for a rainbow to be in the
sky, because there had been no rain at all on this six hour drive. But it was
there in the sky, a thick and beautiful rainbow just showing a little bit
through a gap in the clouds.
And that rainbow
immediately reminded me of God’s faithfulness. The first rainbow was a sign
given to Noah after the flood as a promise that he would never do that again.
And God was faithful to keep that promise. So when I saw that rainbow in the
sky I was reminded of God’s faithfulness. I was reminded that even though
people enter and exit our lives or even the world sometimes, God remains the
same forever. Even when times change, God does not change at all. God is
faithful, always there for us, and always keeping the promises he makes to us.
I truly believe God stuck that rainbow in the sky just for me, to remind me
that even though I was having a very hard day and facing some very scary and
uncertain circumstances in life, God was still faithful.
Through tears I
smiled at that rainbow and cried out to God, “I trust you!” My life is crazy,
uncertain, and a little scary right now. But God is faithful no matter what.
And even though friends, grandparents, and whoever else may not be around
forever, God will be. And he is faithful to provide for all of my needs and be
there even when no one else is.
Even when the trials
in life seem to be clouding everything else up: look out for that rainbow in
the cloudy sky. It’s there to remind you that God is faithful.
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