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Like many of you, I have a smart device that provides me with the weather update any time I ask.  Lately, here in the South, we have been getting quite a few thunderstorms. It always makes me chuckle a little when my device says “today, you can expect sun and thunderstorms”.  It seems like a weather dichotomy, doesn’t it?  Sun and Thunderstorms. It would make an interesting name for a hard rock or alternative rock band.

Some days, it may even reflect our moods, or our life.  I can hear the broadcast now: “today, you can expect sun and thunderstorms as you enjoy the smooth flowing traffic into work and then find out that the software upgrade crashed the system” or “today, you can expect sun and thunderstorms as you enjoy that steamy cup of coffee and walk outside to a flat tire”. How about “today, you can expect sun and thunderstorms as you prepare your home for the entire family to come over.”  It may even be worse such as “today, you can expect sun and thunderstorms as you finish the perfect workout and find a lump in your breast as you shower.” No doubt, you can imagine some grim stories of your own. 

A more appropriate forecast would read “Thunderstorms and Sun” because that is usually the order. After it storms, we sometimes see a rainbow; a definite sign the sun is out since a rainbow is made from the reflecting and bending of light in a water droplet. Once the sun comes out, we know the storm is receding and we can feel safe to go outside again.  Just as we stand in awe of a rainbow and pause to gaze at its beauty, we know that a silver lining will appear in the thunderstorms of our life. It may take some time, but our storms will ease, and we will pause in awe of how we made it through our trials.

God made a covenant with Abraham, using the rainbow as his sign. Whenever I see one, I pause at its beauty and thank God for His faithfulness. I know He is with us in our storms of life. He told us we would have trouble in this world and that He overcame it. We have trials in this life because it is a broken world. Someday, when our time is up and we are with Him, provided we are Christ followers, we will see beauty that is exponentially more awesome and breathtaking than anything we see or can imagine on earth. Remember this next time your day is filled with Sun and Thunderstorms or Thunderstorms and Sun, whichever order it occurs.