Dear Church Family,

Last week our family gathered in Breckenridge, Colorado, for a wedding we will remember for the rest of our lives. Mountain weddings always have one unpredictable guest. No, it is not that crazy uncle; it is the weather.

All week long, the forecast called for afternoon thunderstorms on the big day. I watched the forecast, refreshed the weather app more times than I would care to admit, hoping for the best. The big day arrived, and the morning began beautifully. Blue skies and sunshine seemed to imply that the forecast had been erroneous, but as the hours passed, the clouds rolled in.

Before long, rain began to fall, and thunder was heard in the distance. Surprisingly, everyone remained remarkably optimistic. There was no panic, no sense that the day was ruined. We understood this was out of our hands, so we kept moving forward, trusting it would all work out, somehow… And it did!

Just before the time photographs needed to be taken, the rain ceased. Yes, clouds remained, but the rain held off. The wedding party gathered, pictures were taken, guests arrived, the ceremony began, but the rain stayed away through the entire ceremony.

Later, during the reception meal, there was suddenly a stir among the guests. People began pointing toward the windows and stepping outside. What was the commotion about?

Across the valley in the mountain sky, there appeared a beautiful rainbow. Then the scene became even more remarkable. The setting sun illuminated the mountains with a brilliant golden light known as alpenglow. As the mountains began to glow, the rainbow became a double rainbow…it was simply breathtaking.

I found myself thinking about something very simple: There could not have been a rainbow without the rain.

All day we had wished the clouds away. We would have gladly traded them for uninterrupted sunshine. Yet those very clouds, and the rain they carried, became part of what made the evening unforgettable.

Isn’t that often how life works? We pray for clear skies. We hope that our plans unfold smoothly, relationships are without challenges, decisions are obvious, and difficulties disappear. Yet Scripture repeatedly reminds us that God can use the difficult seasons of our lives to produce something that sunshine alone never could.

Paul writes that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. That does not mean we necessarily have to enjoy life’s storms, but it means we can trust that the storm does not get the final word. Romans 5:3–4 declares, “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Sometimes the clouds we want to remove are the very backdrop on which God paints something beautiful.

I bet that years from now, very few people will remember what the weather forecast predicted that morning, but everyone who stood outside beneath those mountains will remember the glowing peaks and that double rainbow stretching across the sky.

Perhaps that is a good picture of faith. When the clouds gather, keep trusting. When the forecast looks uncertain, keep walking. When a little rain falls on the plans you carefully made, do not assume the story has been spoiled… look for the rainbow.

Sometimes, the memory becomes beautiful just because there was rain.

Loving you all,
Michael