Chasing rainbows

Rainbows mean different things, to different people, at different times, in different ways–actually perhaps more often than one might think. They are always spoken of as beautiful. At least I have personally never heard anyone say, “what an ugly rainbow!” They are serene looking, pleasant looking, almost calming in nature. Fittingly so, I would suggest, since they come so often after a storm.

Mention of, or seeing a rainbow might, for some, conjure up fond, warm, and fuzzy memories of a super-pleasing to the ears song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow“ originally made famous by Judy Garland in the 1939 film, “Wizard of Oz”.

We often hear about chasing rainbows in some form or another. The implication is based on the story that at the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold…. supposedly that place where the rainbow began. It’s about riches. It’s about the illusion of being able to chase wealth.

Certainly, in these times the rainbow leads many to immediately think of how it is being used as an expression of “the diversity of humans” and most notably as the seemingly widely accepted symbol of the LGBTQ+ movement. That symbolism is quite prevalent and widely recognized. It almost always carries with it shadows of divisiveness, even as it is meant to express its promotional intent–diversity.

I wish news sources, advertising, corporate literature, etc. would stop using pictures/images of the rainbow flag in whatever they do. Corporately, their use of it is to show that they believe in diversity (hey, that’s a great thing, a righteous thing!)–but isn’t that what we’re supposed to do in the first place? Is that use more of a divider itself than one might suspect–as in, “hey, look here–we support diversity, do you?” as if implying that “they” don’t. Then there’s the news–when the symbol is part of the portrayal of what happened, or a part of the blurb about what they’re going to report on, I always get the sense that they are subliminally suggesting “folks, we got a hot topic coming up next–buckle up!”. By the way, the rainbow I’m talking about here is of 6 bars of color.

¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

Genesis 9:13-15

Does anyone remember “ROY G BIV”? Back in the day, ole Roy was how we learned the colors of the rainbow–red, orange, yellow, green,blue, indigo, violet. There are 7 colors in the rainbow. To many, seven is the number of spiritual perfection. To many, the rainbow is holy because it is of God. God specifically called the rainbow a sign of His covenant between Himself and the earth–and most assuredly all of those of us who reside thereupon.

When you see a rainbow is it a spiritual moment or a secular, worldly moment? Is it of God in your mind, or is it of man? Is it about diversity/division or is it about God’s perfection? Is it about holiness or chasing wealth? Is it about the immutability of God, or is it about the fallenness of man? Is it about Roy G. Biv, or is it about a mutation?