Thankful Thursdays- 8/22/13- Rainbows

Can you believe it is already August?! Today I'm going to tell you I am thankful for rainbows. Now, I'm guessing you're thinking about the ones in the sky after a storm. While I am thankful for those rainbows, today I'm going to tell you about some other rainbows...ones I see much more frequently!

Here is a rainbow.

It's one of many that we see (more days than not) in the front room of our house. On the east edge of this room is the staircase leading up. At the turning, there is a leaded-glass window, which we believe is original to the house (1910.) 

Several mornings a week, for most of the year, we get to glimpse rainbows in the room provided by the beveled edges of the glass. Now, it requires that you actually get out of bed and come downstairs-LOL! And, it only happens for a brief while after the sun comes up...so no sleeping until noon! 

These rainbows are just as powerful a reminder to be thankful as the ones we sometimes see after a thunderstorm.  They remind me of many things: 

1- God is faithful. The sun comes up, and you might get to see a rainbow. 

2- There is more to this life we are living than is first apparent. Only when the light passes through the prism of the edge do we see the light's individual colors. Only when we pay attention to people will we see their individual personalities. Only when we search out beauty will we be awed by it. Otherwise it's 'just pretty.' Outside the window, it just looks like sunlight, inside the window...a rainbow! 

3- Just as the window separates the light, so God works in my heart to show me the separate parts of me that He is working to transform. Maybe there is too much blue in me, and He wants more green. Maybe I've forgotten how to be yellow and laugh. I am not just one-dimensional (and neither are you!) 

4- We need to be thankful for the small things. If I ever stop being thankful for these small miracles, I will become hardened and bitter...something I definitely DO NOT want! 

5- Time away can rejuvenate me, and help me see the small details. I often am most struck by the rainbows when we've been away for a few days, or when our schedule is so busy that we're out the door before the sun has risen far enough to make the rainbows. 

6- As the rainbow after the rain was God's promise to Noah, these rainbows are little reminders to me that God will not let me be overwhelmed. There truly is nothing that God cannot handle on my behalf. 

7- I need to share my joy. Hey look- rainbows!