When God Shines Through

 The day had dawned bright and sunny. We decided that it would be the perfect time to go out for opening day of the Alaska State Fair. For most of the afternoon, we walked around in the hot, blazing sun, looked at the hundreds of booths and said hello to the many friends we saw along the way. We ate delicious food and heard good music. It really seemed as though life couldn't have been more perfect...

  But then, late in the evening, a storm rolled in. I could see it coming across the majestic mountains that surround the fairgrounds. Dark clouds they were! Black and filled to bursting with rain, ready to drop their moisture at any second. Then the thunder began to roll deep. And then the lightening began. Flashes of brilliance shot across the sky. The once-bright sunshine now seemed hidden. Where had the light gone? 

  And yet, as I turned to my left and looked up, the light still shone: right in front of me was a beautiful double rainbow - an image of beauty in the midst of the storm, sun trying to shine through tiny droplets. 

I realized that this is such a picture of life: it can be so peaceful and serene but then the storms can roll in so suddenly. A calm and quiet soul can so quickly be turned into darkness, the Light of Him now covered by the clouds that hide. The rain falls hard.  But, through it all, God's light still finds a way to us. Just like the rainbow, His grace and love still shine through the rain that falls. No storm comes into our lives without His notice, and no clouds arise without His light breaking through. And I also realize that, in the case of the double rainbow, His blessings often come in abundance during the storms. He brings a double measure of His peace; He restores the serenity that once reigned. The storm may continue for awhile, but the Light will prevail in the end. Clouds may hide it for a time, but it will always return. Hope will come again.