On the way to debrief at the end of last month, God gave me two of my favorite things at the same time – sunflowers and rainbows. I realize how much that makes me sound like a flower child, but hang tight.
Sunflowers.
Sunflowers have been one of my two favorite flowers (the other being white Gerber daisies) for almost as long as I can remember. One of my favorite things about them is that as the day goes on the face of the flower follows the sunlight and is never turned from its light. Beside that, they are flowers that God often uses to touch my heart.
For example, my best friend from high school once gave me a giant fake sunflower simply because when she saw it she thought of me. She also wrote me a sweet note explaining why sunflowers remind her of me. Whenever I move it’s either in the passenger seat or the back window. Years later, one summer while we were in college we took an hour trip to go to sunflower fields and spend the day together.
A second example would be sunflowers I got from my little brother, Micah, while I lived in Colorado. He had sent me a picture of some he had grown as a part of one of his college classes. He told me he wished he could give them to me. To my surprise, a few days later he had some delivered to my front door. That had been a hard day and I was immediately in tears when I found them.
Rainbows.
God has used rainbows to teach me so much over the years. The main meaning they have for me is peace and promise. It’s like God is telling me, “I’ve got this. Don’t worry. You don’t need to fear.” I often come across them on my hardest days when everything feels like it’s going to break if I try to touch it.
Not only was the rainbow beautiful. This time I literally saw where it touches the ground. Never in my life have I seen that. It always disappears beyond the horizon. But, today, God gave me the whole thing – beginning and end.
Did I mention that it was a double rainbow part of the time? And the most vivid rainbow I maybe have ever seen? Because it was both of those things.
I am awestruck at the beauty.
Today, as we were on a nine hour bus ride to Malawi, my thoughts were swimming. God and I have been discussing why it is so hard for me to leave Zambia and the people I’ve connected with. Like usual, my heart broke at leaving. Secondly, Jesus and I have been discussing why it is so hard for me to accept His pursuit of my heart and let Him romance me as the Beloved.
While I don’t have have answers to these thoughts yet, the sunflowers and rainbows have given me joy and reassured my heart. Just like the sunflowers, if I keep my gaze pointed toward the {Son} and, in glimpsing the rainbows, I remember the promises He has given me, I’ll end up where the two meet earth – exactly where He has planned it.
