A Promise Written in Chalk

Seemingly out of nowhere, my daughter started having trouble falling asleep on her own. And then multiple times a night, she would wake up in a panic because she realized she was alone in her room. Night after night after night, she cried. And honestly, so did I. We were all exhausted. We tried different bedtime routines, warm milk before bed, singing worship songs, reading books, but nothing was as soothing as having her momma sit next to her, promising her everything was going to be ok. 

Over and over, I would comfort my daughter by saying this phrase to her, “Do you know what a promise means? It means mommy is always here for you. I promise.” And wrapped in a blanket of complete trust, my girl would eventually fall asleep.

When the weather is nice, our favorite activity is to sit in the driveway and color with chalk. Even for a toddler, she’s incredibly creative. She asks me to draw things for her to color in, spanning from animals to ice cream cones to houses. But after looking up in the sky the other day, she asked me to draw a rainbow. She smiled from ear to ear when she brought over the colors I would need to sketch it out for her, all the while singing a familiar kid’s song melodically naming them all. 

“My girl, do you know what a rainbow means?”

These are some of my favorite moments as a mom. 

“A rainbow means that God promises. Do you remember what a promise means?”

And as though she were transported back to her bedroom at nighttime, she said “It means mommy is always here for you.” Her eyes lit up, and my heart completely melted.

God promises. And God is always here for you.

Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.”  (Genesis 9:12-16 NLT)

I’m not sure what the weather is like in the season of life you’re in. But if all you see are dark storm clouds, and you’re starting to lose hope, let me encourage you for a moment. When God sends clouds over the earth, it is a sign of a covenant, a promise, with His people. It means a rainbow is coming. And when our God makes a promise—He is faithful to fulfill it. He sees you. He knows you. He loves you. And He will absolutely never leave you. Your rainbow is coming, keep looking up.

~

Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.