A SIGN OF HOPE: By Alex Taylor and Hilary Leslie from the WOOT video Series

A lot of times when we think of rainbows we think of a unicorn prancing about in a flower field, that cheesy image. But even when we see a rainbow in the sky, we don’t really give it that much thought or meaning. We just stare at the colors and keep on walking.

However, when taking a van tour of New Orleans after Katrina, we saw a rainbow in a whole new way. On this one street, on the left, all of the houses were still devastated from all the destruction after the hurricane. But on the right side, there was a much different picture. Habitat for Humanity is building houses in rainbow colors for those affected by the storm. These bright homes were a sign of hope, for things to get better in New Orleans even after the disaster they had faced.

This reminded me a lot of the story of Noah’s ark. After the flood and the forty days and forty nights of water, flooding and hardship, the storm was finally over. The clouds and rain subsided and a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. This was God’s way to show the people and Noah that life was going to be alright. They could go on with a strong hope for the future.

In Ecclesiastes 9:4 it says: “For his that is joined with the living, there is hope.” With God on our side, even if seems hard to find God’s presence, there is always hope. We need to be a rainbow for others shining in a way that reflects God’s light and portrays hope for others. Once we become that rainbow, we can brighten up other’s lives, even after the darkest of storms.