Rainbow Moments

Part of what I do at my church is to help to coordinate our devotional ministry. Members of our church write devotions which we compile into an booklet for the Advent season. Every year, something happens which reminds me that God is involved in this ministry. I was telling a friend about this year’s reminder, and she said, “That sounds like a rainbow moment.”

We had talked in our book study class earlier that week about “rainbow days” – those days when God seems to be right in front of you. He’s easy to see, easy to notice. As we discussed that in class, we came to the conclusion that sometimes rainbow times don’t last an entire day.

I thought my friend’s (MT) description of what happened was perfect – a rainbow moment.

Class tomorrow will be about Chapter 4 of the Ortberg book God is Closer Than You Think. I was re-reading the chapter today in preparation to teach. It is about the sacrament of the moment. I was struck by the idea that if we try to live in the past, we will lose our life. If we try to live in the future, we will lose our life. Our only chance to meet God – the only place God can be found – is in this very moment. God is present for us right now, in this time. This is as much of a rainbow moment as any moment can be.

So why is it that we live our lives waiting for tomorrow? Why do we insist on putting up with the absence of God, waiting until tomorrow to have the time to look for him, to make the effort to join with him in his work? Why do we waste this rainbow moment in the hopes of finding one tomorrow?