I couldn’t help but notice yesterday, as I was riding my bike, that over the northeastern side of Tucson, a rainbow had appeared. I can’t remember the last time I saw a rainbow—probably a year ago (yes exactly a year ago and i remember i took a photo too, the one that is on the homepage as cover photo)—and to me, it is one of the most beautiful wonders of the earth. The colors, the perfect arch, and I guess the most important part is that it comes at a point in time that feels somehow liminal—after the rain, when the sun is just coming back.
It shows up in a moment that feels like an in-between state, and yet, its beauty and magnificence do not last long—which is why I always make sure to take a picture, or better yet, savor it and take it all in because of its short life. Perhaps it is here to remind us that beauty is engraved all around us. And while we are constantly trying to meet the pressing demands of life, we need to pause for a little bit too—to reflect on the natural, to appreciate this wonder.
Still, from a Christian standpoint, the rainbow is a reminder of God’s promise: that He will not destroy the earth with a flood again and that He will establish a lasting covenant with humanity.
Genesis 9:12–15 (NKJV)
“This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;
and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh;
the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”
I hope that, even as adults, it doesn’t feel awkward or silly—or for men, not “macho” enough—to wander around, smile, and be taken in awe by this phenomenon.
Introduction 
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