Nature Journal #8 Rainbows

 Nature Journal #8: Rainbows

Rainbows have always had a comforting presence to me; even outside of their religious affiliation, rainbows are quite literally a bright spot on a rainy day. When I was little, I used to sit on the floor of my dining room where we had a crystal chandelier hanging. I'd try to catch the sun gleaming on the fixture in order to witness the rainbow spectrum reflected all across the room. On particularly sunny days or at certain times of year, I'd walk through our dining room and it would be polka-dotted in rainbows. I've always found it fascinating how light is refracted to create such a vision. 

But more so than rainbows that appear through certain materials, rainbows that cover the sky after a rainstorm always impress me to a different level. I went home for a few days to St. Louis hoping I would get to see beautiful trees and crisp weather. While I did get some of that, I also experienced some rainy gloomy weather. But one afternoon, after it rained all morning, I was driving back home from the grocery store and as I entered my neighborhood, I looked up and noticed a rainbow spreading one side of the earth to the other. It was beautiful, bright, and glistening in the sky. 

Moreover, the beauty of rainbows following a rainstorm holds a particular significance. The juxtaposition of dark clouds and the emergence of a brilliant arch across the sky symbolizes a shift from darkness to serenity. It is a visual metaphor for the cyclical nature of challenges and the promise of renewal after adversity.

In contemplating the spiritual dimension of rainbows, I am personally drawn to the biblical significance attributed to the presence of rainbows. The Bible recounts a promise made by God to never again flood the Earth to the extent of destruction, and the rainbow serves as a tangible symbol of this covenant. This promise that God made to His people adds a layer of profound meaning to the sight of a rainbow.

As I drove through my neighborhood in St. Louis, witnessing the expansive arc of colors stretching across the horizon, I couldn't help but feel a sense of reassurance. The rainbow as a symbol of enduring promises, a reminder that challenges are transient, and moments of beauty and grace await those who weather the storms of life. In conclusion, rainbows, wherever they are observed, serve as powerful symbols of hope, renewal, and God's power and divinity. Ultimately, they remain steadfast beacons of beauty but also of past promises made to the world.








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