And when there is no rainbow to be seen......

Most of us have experienced times when we cannot see the rainbow......that symbolic promise of God to care for humankind, and most especially for us or our loved ones.  Most of us have entered into times of darkness when our confidence in the light of God is shaken to its core.

For some, it goes even deeper.  In the midst of our darkness, we question whether we believe at all. Something terrible has occurred, and because of it, we find it is so difficult to trust, to feel at peace, to walk into a future we cannot imagine, and we begin to question whether we really do have a relationship with God.  Where did our 'faith' go?  Why am I so afraid, or angry or hurt?

Some end up deciding there is no God; that it was all a lie from the beginning.

For the rest of us, the return to God and a relationship of trust is difficult beyond words and requires that we offer up a larger portion of ourselves.  The return to God generally requires a re-evaluation of who we think God truly is, and what we think God's message and gift to us in Jesus is all about.  We will have to re-define what it means to have God take care of everything.  We will have to re-consider what it means to believe that God is in charge of the universe.  We will have to trust at a new and painful level that God does truly love us and will work to good for us......even when we cannot see any good at all.

Which brings us to the cross.  Always.  Standing before the cross of crucified Jesus, we need to come to terms with a God who is at work when all we see is torture, pain, death and failure.  Standing before the cross, we need to look into the face of Jesus - a cancer patient - a hostage of ISIS - an abused child - a grieving mother - and see that God's love continues and God's hold on each has not failed.

Few of us make this journey into the cross on the first try; we approach again and again seeking the face of God, the face of love....which is much more powerful than any rainbow any day of the week.