“I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Genesis 9:15-17

The next day was a Thursday, and I woke up after a restless night wondering if I was doing the right thing. I REALLY liked the guy, but I couldn’t stay with him if we didn’t believe the same things about a relationship with God. I know that’s not a deal-breaker for everyone, but it was for me.

While I was getting ready for work, Brian called. He said he felt bad for leaving like he did the previous night and asked if we could talk more about the situation. I knew he was about to go out of town for a bachelor party in Florida so I suggested we take a “break” for the weekend and that when he returned we could talk things over. I will never forget what he said next, “I’ve never known anyone who had a real relationship with God like you do. I want what you have, can you just give me a chance to figure this out?”

Um, YES!!!

So we hung up agreeing that I would pick him up from the airport Sunday night and we would talk then.

The next three days were the most interesting, most stressful, most rewarding, and most ironic days I have ever experienced. This is the power of prayer in action.

After work on Friday I decided I needed to have a hibernation weekend and think/pray about everything that was happening in my life. So I spent the majority of Friday and Saturday journaling, praying, and reading my Bible hoping that I would find the answers and direction I needed. I also had some very good talks with good friends from high school and college. I shared the entire saga with them and asked their advice. The advice was all consistent, to give the relationship a chance, but to set boundaries and to proceed with caution. But I still felt uneasy. I really wanted to do what God wanted me to do and I still hadn’t received the divine clarity I needed.

The weekend was stormy, but around 3 pm the sun came out. I looked outside and the sky was beautiful, one with bright blue sky and dark clouds, the kind of clouds that really look like they have a silver lining. It appeared the conditions were prime for a rainbow to fill the sky, so I went for a walk to find a rainbow.

This rainbow hunt needs some explaining. The summer if 1996 I was a freshman in college and was going through a really difficult time. It was a very sad and unpredictable time in my life, and I had been praying so much that God help me through my problems. Toward the end of the summer I was growing impatient with God, I felt like he wasn’t listening and he certainly wasn’t answering any of my prayers. That summer my life seemed to get worse and worse. And then one day on my way home from my summer job, I rounded a corner on the interstate and saw a HUGE rainbow stretching across the sky from one side of the interstate to the other. It was as if I was driving through an archway of color. When I saw the rainbow, I Immediately felt a huge wave of peace wash over me and I knew that God was there. It was as if I could sense him saying to me that everything was going to be ok, that I was on the right path and that I needed to keep following him on my life’s journey.

Ever since that day, God has used rainbows to encourage me in troubled times or times of confusion/decision. It was uncanny how often I would see rainbows after that time. So on that Saturday afternoon after hours of praying for direction in my relationship with Brian, I saw a sky that SHOULD have a rainbow in it and set off to find it. In my heart I thought, “If I see a rainbow, that will be the sign I’m looking for. If I see a rainbow, I will know that God wants me to keep dating Brian and that everything would be ok.”

So I walked around the park next to my house and kept looking up. I must’ve looked pretty silly walking around like that. But at this point I was desperate to find a rainbow. I walked and walked and walked, but no rainbow. Finally I gave up and made my way back home. I was sad, and kind of laughing at myself for putting so much importance on this whole rainbow thing. But I also couldn’t deny how God had consistently used rainbows in my life and was starting to think I may be getting an answer I didn’t want.

When I got home, I checked my mailbox and found that I had a card waiting for me from my mom. When I opened the envelope I about fell over because on the front was aphotograph she had taken of a RAINBOW.

THE RAINBOW WAS IN THE MAILBOX!!!!

And inside the card she wrote, “God ALWAYS keeps his promises.”

I started to cry. My faith was so small. Just because I didn’t see a rainbow on my walk I was ready to give up. But God used a rainbow in the mailbox to remind me that I should never put God in a box and always remember that his ways are unique, varied, and PERFECT.

With this new found relief, I decided it was time to leave the house and run some errands. I had to go to the grocery store and at that time, the closest and best grocery store to my house on Capitol Hill was across the Potomac River in Crystal City. I drove across the Hill to 395 and started across the river on the 14 th street bridge. As I got closer to Virginia I needed to switch lanes so I wouldn’t miss my exit. When I looked in my rear-view mirror to make sure the coast was clear to switch lanes I saw a huge DOUBLE RAINBOW stretching from one side of the Washington Monument to the other.

Needless to say I almost ran my car off the bridge! I literally had to pull over once I crossed the bridge and catch my breath. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

By now, the message was clear. I knew what I had to do.

To Be Continued