FRESH THYME
The Spectrum
by Marcy Lytle
In the course of 24 hours sometimes, I meet people that are in total grief because of sorrow and loss, in complete ecstasy over the best news ever, or somewhere in between in the doldrums of life. A spectrum is a scale used to classify something in terms of its position between two opposite points. And life can send you to one end of the other in a flash, or it can drone on without movement…where we’re stuck in the middle.
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Recently, some of my family members were thrust to one end when they received shocking news of a diagnosis that left them without hope. I had friends that received good news about their finances, and a good report from their doctor, so they were rejoicing. One little phone call or visit or scan or report moves us along the spectrum at lightning speed, and we come to a jolting stop at the news or the call.
Did you now that a rainbow is also a spectrum? It’s a band of colors that vary by degrees of refraction and wavelength. And the rainbow is one of the most beautiful sights in the entire world when it appears after a storm. It causes people in cars to pull over and take photos. It reminds us all of who made the rainbow and the promise behind it. It appears out of nowhere, and catches us all by surprise, and then just as quick as it appears…it’s gone. If you didn’t take a photo, it’s too late.
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Rainbows are formed when sunlight passes through the raindrops. There’s a lesson right there for those of us in the middle of a downpour, a deluge of bad news. In the sky, the sun never fails to show up and shine, even through the worst of storms. That definitely offers hope when all we see is that we’re drowning from the nonstop pounding of the drops.
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The spectrum of the rainbow consists of seven colors. Is the number seven a lucky number? Well, no. But seven is a reminder of the completeness of God’s work when he created the heavens and the earth. He doesn’t just enter our lives and then forsake us from time to time, reappearing on the scene if we’re lucky. He is a completing God, one that sees our lives through to the finish, just like he finished his creative work and called it good. So is his work in our lives.
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There is no pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and its spectrum because there is no end to the rainbow! It’s circular. It’s complete. And so is God’s love for us, and there’s no end to his mercy and goodness as he works all things together for good to those that love Him. Bad news, good news, and all the yawns in between, and the jolts along the way, there is no end to his masterpiece until its completion…and then…that end is glorious.
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Rainbows are visible around the world. That spectrum, that array of light, is no respecter of persons. It shows up to those that are looking up. It shows up to those that are out in the rain. It appears to those that least expect it. It amazes all who see it, regardless of color, race, economic status or current diagnosis or mountaintop experiences.
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I once read that even the blind can experience the rainbow by being told something like this: Imagine flavors of cherry, orange, lemon, lime, blueberry, and grape spread across the sky in a wide arch as big as a 747 airplane hangar. The colors are not tangible, but bright against the night sky. Like a smile that warms the spirit.
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Where are you on life’s spectrum? Don’t be dismayed if you’ve been thrown to the end where no hope seems to be found. And if you’re on the other end and you’re dancing for joy? Enjoy the dance! Life will continue to move us along all over that spectrum every 24 hours, every week and month, every year. And the rainbow will keep appearing in the sky as a reminder of the sunlight, completion, the number seven, and the never ending love of the Creator.
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Today I’m on the low end of the spectrum as I hurt with my family, but I’m also rejoicing with others as they rejoice at life’s blessings. Truth be told, if we see life as a rainbow, it doesn’t matter which end we’re on at any given time…it’s all beautiful and amazing…though we can only see in the moment. There’s this eternal circle of love surrounding us as we live…move…and are. And that is quite amazing.