Seventeen days, a rainbow, and waiting for a song to sing

For seventeen long days my mother was away from us in the hospital. She is home now, she is weak, and she is experiencing severe hearing loss; truth be told, we are having a hard time. Each day brings new challenges, each day we are tired and worried and lifting up our burdens to the Lord. These are difficult times.

But yesterday afternoon my ten-year-old ran into the house loudly announcing, "Mommy, there's a HUGE rainbow outside. You HAVE to COME SEE!" It was the most beautiful thing I have seen in a long time. The clouds were steel gray, the sun was breaking through just enough to make the oak leaves glow and the rainbow shine brilliantly against the dark canvas. It spanned the whole sky and it was breathtaking. We let the raindrops fall on us as we stood and watched the show. And we laughed for a little bit. It was a short break of joy, and it was most welcome.

Years ago I heard a message about suffering and how at times we have to wait before we will have a song to sing. That message was by Jill Briscoe who happens to be friends with my dear friend Steph (whom I haven't met yet, but I hold her dear to my heart nonetheless.) She heard the same wisdom from her friend in this way: Oh, Steph. This is just the Selah before your next Psalm. Don't miss this or you won't know the next song. The Selah. That is where I am living right now. In that space between the praises.

But in the midst of the Selah there was a rainbow. How cool is that?