Raindrops and Rainbows

OK, why'd I take this picture?

Because we were just pulling in to our house, noticing the awesome sunny day and everyone playing outside.  When I opened the door, I suddenly started getting wet.  Big fat raindrops were coming down fast.  But it seemed IMPOSSIBLE!  We looked up and laughed -- there was this rain cloud right above our house and our house only!!

OK, so why did I take this picture?

Because it took me a second to realize what happens when it rains while the sun is out.  We ran down our driveway and looked up.  Sure enough, right above our house was a rainbow!  Sent just for us. I know you can't really see it in the pic -- look above our garage, a little higher, above the clouds...THERE.

And it made our family so happy!

1. Because who doesn't smile at a rainbow
2. Because I JUST taught the kids in preschool about rainbows this week, and booyah, there it is.
3. Because surely there is a pot of gold hidden SOMEWHERE nearby!
4. Because it was an interesting persepective change:  First we were joking around with what kind of doomsday gloom have we done to deserve the only raincloud in the sky to be over OUR house...How embarrassing!  And then, just like that we were blessed with a beautiful rainbow just for us.

Anyone else see a great lesson to be learned here?  There are rainclouds in our lives, too, mostly meant just for us.  It's easy to look around and see everyone else seemingly experiencing nothing but sunshine (which in our case here, that was literally true!), and wonder why do YOU get the only dark raincloud in the sky?  But shortly after the rain passes -- the hardship, the trial, the emotion, whatever -- out comes a beautiful rainbow just for you, a great blessing, a feeling of peace, a reminder that God is there and has been through it all.  The rainbow was meant for you just as the cloud was.  And in fact, the rain was necessary to bring the rainbow out.  The sun was there all along.  But the rain had to come out to show you the sun's beauty and power.

We are thankful for the rain and the rainbow that taught us this lesson today -- all in 30 seconds or less.