Our pride filled sense of who we think we are struggles valiantly against restraints and intrusions which visit upon our soul by the determined hand of God. These divine interventions are unrelenting in their desire to achieve the goal that only His eternal perspective recognizes or applauds. These offensive obstacles are designed to obstruct our goals, will and ways. They leave in their wake, eternal changes in the way we naturally do things. Though set on our heels for a time, we once again set our sails and plot our course toward the coveted rainbow's end.

Then suddenly, come giant hordes of circumstantial opponents. They take captive our horizons, setting themselves against us with militant determination. This affront to our natural cleverness leaves us confused, dismayed, and angry. Our desires and divine will once more cross paths. This encounter abruptly halts the ambitious quest for promises assured at rainbow's end!

One more time the genius of God has allowed an experience that challenges our hidden agendas and motives, rendering us exposed to our own disbelieving eyes. Again and again we are asked this question; why are you involved in this and that? Opposition has a way of tiring one out
enough to finally hear the quiet whispers of God; those whispers that pointedly challenge and unsettle the soul. Choices and motives need to be reviewed once more, what am I all about?

Is knowing Him and living in the experience of surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ an honest statement about the reality of my life's goals?! Or am I just so much hot air, producing dreams and fantasies that my inflated ego can escape into? Do I feverishly plot and plan my one day fame and fortune, in God's name, of course?

Is living on this earth in shame's obscurity, while His character and purpose is diligently worked into the fibers of my very being, enough? Wrestlings frought with so many challenging questions. In the experience of the struggle there are no rescuing statements declaring, "this time and on this date, you shall have your rainbow promise fulfilled, pot of gold and all!"

There are statements declared only faith can hold onto, such as: Eternal purposes born out of love are in the heart of Father God. These purposes are for those that are His because of the promises given to all those who receive Jesus Christ.

Faith's oracles are rarely a defined formula that gives the ABC or 1-2-3 of assured gratification for the seeking heart. When faith beckons to the mind, will and emotions of humanity for a response to ways unknown, it will always assault the logic and comfort of these earth bound facilities.

As one enters into the way of faith, fear and doubt loom as one stands before giants, shielded with only rocks and sling! Many fearful souls recoil in the face of giants, stumbling back from faith's hallenge. Seeking a reprieve for the aching soul, they justify actions of retreat with explanations of how God desires to bless and give rest to His children.

This is a soothing and friendly seduction giving sanctuary to abdicating souls- souls who have lost the understanding that eternal objectives are worked into us through the experience of the age old struggle. The struggle over who will rule the mind, will and emotions of humanity!

The Cross or a Rainbow are choices presented.

One experience will produce a release from the discomfort of divinely designed restraints, while encouraging the weary one to seek their pot of gold. After all, the storm has somehow magically been subdued?!

Yet another experience sentences the soul to dark nights and questions unanswered. Eternal changes wrought by God's hand are often hidden from the world's eyes under a cloak of shame and assumptions of God's disapproval.

Such choices to be made in a world that presents God as the one who wants to empower personal dreams and schemes. A God who desires nothing but happiness and self-fulfillment for His children. After all, why did He create you if not to pour out blessings on you?!

This belief looms large offering itself as a supportive friend to the long offended soul. The rainbow enticement is responded to with hope-filled expectations of warm fuzzies straight from the heart of God. At the end of rainbows, children rest and play while pots of gold and self-fulfillment consume their thoughts and activities. They have rainbow dreams that lull their souls into blissful complacency.

Crosses on the other hand stand mute! They offer more questions than answers and propose more challenges than promises! Crosses seem to allude to things hidden and eternal. The struggle countered is that, while standing on earth, eternal perspective as a logical argument seems to lose
its effectiveness in confronting the overpowering demands of the here and now.

The cross as an experience can not be formulated into a neat, how to die package. It seems to consume the soul with diverse designs designated to meet the need of the unique individual. Unfair is the demand of the cross. Forsakened is the feeling experienced on the cross. Forgiveness and God's
purposes are accomplished because of the cross. There are no catchy slogans to sell this reality, only secret choices made before a God that invites you in to complete something not yet finished in a mystery.

Rainbows stir up all the ardent emotions and strong will of man. How unlike the response the cross evokes. Crosses bring us to surrender and weakness. Christ and only Christ in us will respond in faith to crosses presented. Christ enables us to consider the reality of crosses while strengthening us to yield to the finality of our personal cross.

Rainbows light up darkened skies promising deliverance and the storms end! Crosses are raised as skies darken and storms rage! The natural man is perplexed and strained by these realities and burdened by choices presented.

"Can't we have both," we question? "Isn't God a God of rainbows and crosses?" These questions are not ours to define or give clarity to. We don't always know! What starts out looking and feeling like a cross may end up with all the joy of rainbows or vice versa. Who can determine or explain the ways of God?

Wisdom can only encourage and remind humanity of Godly ways. Respond to what is presented and be equipped with Godly understanding in regard to crosses and rainbows. Yes, there are God given rainbows as well as the challenge of crosses. The struggle is, we usually run from crosses while frantically pursuing rainbows and never come to clarity over the issues.

REFLECT ON THIS

In a time appointed, we are miraculously raised from the life altering experience of the cross. Rainbows often grace these resurrections with reminders of God's promises fulfilled! It is always interesting to witness the timing involved with these divine encounters. One will usually abide in a cross experience until the pot of gold (whatever that represents), no longer has the power to seduce the soul.

Rainbows and crosses are lifted up into skies giving proof by their very existence of God's involvement with those who are His own. Etched upon your soul will be the eternal evidence of choices made at the foot of crosses and in response to rainbows!