I fully know that I am prone to trafficking in cliches, but I cherish the possibly deluded opinion of myself that, while many of the things I find most inspirational are terribly hackneyed, they inspire me in ways that are different, new, unique to me. One of those cliches is the rainbow. How much more tired can a poor symbol be than the rainbow? There's the whole Biblical story, there's proverb after quotation after witticism (my favorite by my beloved Dolly Parton) about waiting through the rain for the rainbow, and there's every piece of Lisa Frank stationery from my childhood and every childish notebook and picture book ever published with a cheerful looking rainbow somewhere on it. There's Lucky Charms cereal, and there's Dorothy's warbled song. There is nothing unique or new to find as far as inspiration goes anywhere in a rainbow.
But I like rainbows anyway. And I do like their symbolism.
Today, for example, there is a little half of rainbow arc... actually less, more like a quarter, peeking out from behind the hazy purply pink clouds that followed a recent storm. It's dusk, and the rainbow is fading, but it is there, marking the end of the rain as evening falls.
And as I see it, as this first school year draws to a close and as the summer comes with the potential of more time for planning, for personal reflection, for rest, for reading, I see that little quarter of a rainbow poking through the clouds of discontent and anxiety that have been condensing on my heart, rumbling low thunder in my head for the past several months. Maybe all the inner strife and turmoil is as much a product of lack of time to examine it, wrestle with it, untangle it as it is an actual problem. Maybe all the fears and questions that I've been harboring need only to be written down. Maybe they just need time with poetry and literature, time with Scripture, time with prayer, time with sleep, time with typing and scrawling across pages to form and to gain clarity.
If the little rainbow peeking through is a sign-- rather, if I make the little rainbow a sign of my own-- today is the start of the clearing of the storm. It's the start-- not necessarily of all sunny days and birds chirping (Who wants that anyway?) but the start of days unclouded, uncluttered, the start of days to-- wow this is gonna be corny, but I admit I like my cliches-- the start of days to search for the rest of that little rainbow.
Very interesting and insightful. I find it interesting that, as simple as the rainbow is, it sure catches a lot of people's attention. I'm thinking this was on purpose by the Maker? If everyone got the same meaning and drew the same conclusions all the time, what would cause self reflection and produce growth? The original author of all things that are "cliche" never intended it to be that way. People make things cliche. Which was one of the points you made in your writing, but what I love is that you go ahead and point out a whole new way to think about this simple rainbow. It's almost like you intentionally mention it as a starting of your thoughts, but it's definitely not the center focus. It's the catalyst to the deeper parts.
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