She had made it
through the storm.
And oh what a
storm it had been! Although she had
naively stepped right into the heart of the storm, it had caught her by
surprise. She hadn’t expected it, hadn’t
been prepared for the unforgiving onslaught.
It wasn’t as if it had started as a trickling slow steady rain, it had
been a downpour that refused to stop.
The pouring so hard she couldn’t see two steps ahead of where she was
going. She had felt beaten down by it, drenched
by it, exhausted by it. There were times when she didn’t think she’d be able to
continue forward. Where she felt as though she was going against
the wind and her efforts had felt fruitless. It had been an unforgiving storm, harsh and
abusive. Still, even staggeringly she
had continued forward. There were times
when all she could focus on was lifting her foot to take the next step, and the
next, and the next. It had felt
unending, yet still she kept on the path.
She had wanted to give up, yet still she continued on. This journey wasn’t as she had expected. Her encounters made her realize how very
vulnerable she was. Yet there was something
deep within her that prompted her to continue forward and to not give up.
The storm was
over. She was still on the path. She allowed herself a moment to stop and look
behind her at how far she had journeyed. How many things she had learned on the way,
yet when she turned around and continued forward she could not tell how far a
journey she still had to venture or what the future held in store, the one
thing she knew as that she had to continue on.
There was no other choice. She
had come too far.
The sun peeked
almost shyly out from between the density of the trees that lined the pathway,
its rays drying up the dew on the green grass which lined each side of the way.
Her clothes were
damp, her hair tousled. Her heart and
been beaten down – yet seven months had gone by. The storm had not succeeded. It had beaten her down but she had risen up
and survived the beating. Her back was
straight, her chin was raised high. Her
damp curls framed her face as she continued to look ahead – no longer thinking
of what was behind. The storm was over.
The fact that
the storm was over was confirmed by the singing of birds which had returned
from wherever they seek shelter from a storm.
It was a welcome sound after only hearing the onrushing of rain. They seemed to have much to say as if to make
up for lost time. It renewed her. It encouraged her. It prompted her forward.
As she ventured
on she came to a clearing and the splendid sight she saw took her breath away.
There before the
expanse of sky arched a brilliant rainbow.
Its colors fused together like a splendid water colored picture. Bold, bright and glorious, framed against the
expanse of a blue cloudless sky.
“I have set my rainbow in
the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
(Genesis 9:13)
God’s
promise. A reminder of His faithfulness. She had been tossed to and fro and God had
allowed the storm to occur. What had she
learned during the storm as she had ventured forward? She had learned that she was more vulnerable
than she had ever imagined. She had
learned that it was only due to the grace and forgiveness of God and through
His strength that she could proceed. She
had learned that she needed to learn how to cover all her vulnerable areas in
case another storm should arise in the future.
This was something that she was still trying to figure out, guarding one’s
heart is not an easy thing to do for one who feels things so deeply. Yet the journey was about learning, wasn’t
it? It was about growing and changing
and sharing what one had learned should one encounter another on the pathway.
As she continued
to admire the intricate grandeur before her, she was filled with appreciation
and awe for a God who continued to care even when it was her own fault for
walking right into a storm. Surely there
had been signs and warnings that she had naively not paid heed to. Yet still He had brought her through on the
other side.
God’s promise.
Her lips moved
up in a smile, her heart filled with joy and she knew that with that rainbow
and God’s promise the best was yet to come.
Not what she had thought was the best – but what God knew WAS the
best. Perhaps it was just around the
next bend? The only way to find out, was
to proceed.
And so, she did...
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