“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)” Hebrews 10:23 (KJV)
It was a beautiful, warm and sunny Saturday morning. The perfect morning for an outside birthday party. The tables were set, the decorations were hung and the bubble machine was perfectly blowing bubbles through the breezeway as the guests arrived. This was going to be the best 1st birthday party for my sweet daughter! However, mother nature had other plans for this morning… Literally as soon as the last dish was placed on the table the rain came pouring down. Everyone hurried to get everything inside before it was totally ruined.
My heart sank. I was so disappointed. Everyone worked so hard the night before and the morning of to get everything set up for her to have an amazing day…outside. I was so upset because we had already been through so much this year and I just wanted a day full of “happy” memories. I cried out to God, “Why?! This is her first big milestone and it is hard enough to put on a happy face despite feeling totally broken at the same time. I missed my husband, I wanted him there celebrating with us and now you’re having it rain on her big day!”
Have you ever felt like you just can’t take any more disappointments? Even the simplest thing will make you feel like you could crumble? That day I felt as if my faith was crumbling, wavering, even becoming unsteady. Had God forgotten about us? Did He remember everything we’d endured just this year? It seemed trivial wanting a birthday party to be so perfect, but I just couldn’t handle any more obstacles and I slowly felt myself drawing away from God.
The party actually ended up being absolutely amazing despite the rain showers. Everyone had a fantastic time and so did the birthday girl. I, on the other hand, was still upset, especially with God.
Later that night I went to church and as I was walking in, I glanced toward the left and saw a beautiful rainbow. My eyes filled up with tears. Rainbows have such a special meaning to me because of a moment I shared with my husband, Aaron, about their meaning. We were driving home from one his treatments in Miami and we both were feeling as if our faith was being stretched to the max. I remember Aaron seeing a rainbow and telling me how much joy it brought him especially after such a hard day. He wasn’t really sure why it made him feel this way and he also wasn’t too sure of the Biblical meaning either. So, I was able to share with him that God gave us a rainbow to show His mercy for us and His promise to us that He will never flood the earth again. Sharing this meaning with Aaron is a moment I will cherish forever. In that moment we were both filled with hope again. We felt that God had not forgotten about us and we were reminded that He does keep His promises to us.
“We must trust the Lord through the darkness, and honor Him with unwavering confidence even in the midst of difficult situations. The reward of this kind of faith will be like that of an eagle shedding its feathers is said to receive – a renewed sense of youth and strength.” – J.R. Macduff
God is so amazing to us even in our times of struggle and doubt. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. When we draw away from God because we are mad or disappointed at an outcome this does not mean that we have wavering faith. We are human and we will experience times likes these, they remind us that this world is not perfect and neither are we. We have unwavering faith when absolutely nothing can break our bond to throne. We may struggle and even become unsteady at times, but deep down if we are rooted in Him and His word our faith is unbreakable.
That evening walking into church was another reminder that God does not change and that He does keep His promises. Seeing that rainbow gave me strength to keep running and hope to keep believing. I pray that we are all able to experience an unbreakable bond to His throne and see the beauty in His promises.
Running With Peace 