Rainbow As Inspiration, Expectation, and Promise

Rainbows are beautiful. Maybe they are magic.

What do you see?

Every time I see a rainbow, I am awestruck. No wonder there are “so many songs about rainbows”.

Filled with wonder — inspired by these aerial views — artists, poets, and songwriters often create. Though our creations cannot match the majesty of this inspiration, our art is beautiful, too.

Rainbow Expectation

I’m not sure why, but I almost always feel expectant when I see a rainbow. These beautiful, refracted colors make me look forward to something good.

I can’t remember if I have consistently experienced this goodness after seeing these colorful arches. But it doesn’t seem to matter: I still feel this expectation each time.

Promise of the Rainbow

I have to admit that my religious upbringing may have something to do with my expectations in this case. Rainbows are a symbol of divine protection in the Jewish (and therefore Christian) texts. After a global flood, these refracted colors appear as a sign of the caring by the divine for humanity.

This mythic story may have influenced me more than I can explain. I have rejected many of the myths of my spiritual past, but some of them seep into my bones anyway.

What I know for certain is that with each witnessing of these colorful arches of light, I experience awe and the power of hope. May you find hopeful expectancy in something. Perhaps, like me, that thing can sometimes be a rainbow.