My Treasure At The End Of The Rainbow

Have you ever made a plan to go somewhere and then everything went haywire? That happened to me recently. I won't mention where we were going for I would embarrass myself way too much. There's humility and then there is stupidity. I would fall into the last category.

This particular outing had been on my calendar for awhile. I'm notorious for planning something and then unplanning because of my love of home. This time, however, was not the case. The problem was I didn't make reservations for a place to stay.

The internet, credit cards, and fax machines allow us flexibility in planning or buying anything we want at the touch of a computer key, and I let that override my common sense. Also, the fact that spring is here and I've been spending glorious hours in my garden has left me in a pollen-induced haze.

All this aside, I SHOULD have been on top of this but I wasn't. The day we were leaving, I was still looking for reservations. Fortunately, my...ahem, persistence paid off and a place was booked. I was printing off the parking pass, literally, while the car was running.

If it could go wrong that day, it did. 

Our son could not find the title to a vehicle he was selling, and called, as we were walking out the door. I'm a meticulous record keeper. All the titles to our vehicles are kept in a folder in the safe, except that one. He needed it for something earlier and it never found its way back to the folder. That incident, and a dozen other things beckoned us to stay home.

But, we got in the car on a dreary day and went anyway. Rain poured intermittently. A latte helped improve my mood. He slept while I drove, typical for us.

As we made our way to our destination the most beautiful double rainbow appeared. The colors were the most vivid I've ever seen in my fifty something years. So of course, he had to take a picture, or two, or three…at my insistence. Because you never know when you might need a good rainbow picture.

By the time we arrived, it was already dark, still raining, and we were bone tired.

I couldn't wait to see the scenery that awaited as the sun rose. I was not disappointed, the view was breathtaking.

As I reflected on the beauty of my surroundings, it occurred to me the time spent away, the rest I so desperately needed, and the planning I was able to do were my treasure at the end of the rainbow.

God used the rainbow in the Old Testament to remind Noah He would never again destroy human life as a whole, with water. He set the arc of color in the sky to remind us He is God, He controls all things, even our plans and reservations.

What a gift that time was to me. 

We've all heard the myth of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There is a treasure far more important than gold. I've learned that time spent with Him is more precious that any pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The treasure He gives in the stillness of my soul is priceless. I could have found that at home too, but He had to move me out of my comfort zone to remind me to be still and know.

And my sweet boy, who is so much like me, found the title to his truck. He kept searching and found his treasure.

My prayer is that my children see the value of a treasure that is priceless…one that is found, not at the end of a rainbow, but at the feet of the One who made the rainbow.

Cindy