I love my sister. We have a deep connection and while we are very different people, we tend to walk parallel lessons in life. She on her path me on mine but we hold hands between. When moments would come where my answer would include the "J" word, boy did I dance around. I was afraid.
I was afraid of losing her love and respect. I didn't want her to think I was one of "those" people. And I didn't want to risk losing her sharing.
In my sly as a fox way, you'll see later why I'm SO not sly... I would softly reply words of faith. I wanted to ease her into it, meet her at her comfort level. I think this is really important, if you come on too hard when someone dips their toe into the faith waters you can scare them. Be delicate. Jesus knocks, he doesn't barge your door down am I right?!
We text a lot so I decided to use a rainbow as my emoji of faith encouraging her to listen for signs of faith to guide her steps. Cute little things like keep the <rainbow emoji> sorry I'm writing on a laptop not a phone haha!
She has had a dream her whole life to live in Florida, we live in Massachusetts. On a trip to FL for work I swear my phone was blowing up with pictures and lots of explanation points. She was being flooded with rainbows. Not emojis, real honest to goodness in the sky rainbows. It was funny and even got to the point of are these things going to stop?
This was my chance to ratchet it up a level. Instead of using a J, I spelled out his name. Sister, I think Jesus is trying to reach you and give you your dreams.
He was knocking. He was showing off big time to say, I KNOW YOUR HEART! I'M HERE!
I could cry writing this. It took a little time, planning and fighting the resistance that would come telling her all the reasons why she couldn't live there. Darts that went straight to her heart. But my sister was brave and at 50 years of age she answered the knock and as I write this she is chasing her dream and it's happening, right here right now! My joy for her is boundless and so isn't my encouragement. We no longer type J but we do still use rainbow emojis. We talk about Jesus openly and she's well on her faith walk journey.
But there's more... Jesus likes a good mic drop, ya know? I've read Genesis but really focused on creation, then into Noah, I missed something crucial. In a journal write long after my "sly" emoji work, God put it on my heart to read my Bible. "Go back to the beginning as in page 1" wowie... ok, so I did.
"Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.
Then God said, "I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and 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. When I see the rainbow in the clouds I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth." Then God said to Noah, "Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth." Genesis 9:11-17 NLT
Yup, beautiful. After the floods and Noah opens the creaky wood door and takes a peak out and the dove doesn't return, God makes an oath to mankind, I will keep you safe, I will protect you. The rainbow signifies His oath and commitment to us. Not only for us to see it and believe it, but for Him to remember His oath to us and our bond. God doesn't make oaths lightly.
So anytime you see a rainbow, take note of what's in your heart. Is there a dream your scared to chase but standing on its grounds and just need some encouragement to go for it?
When I see a rainbow now, I smile at my childlike use of encouraging my sisters faith walk with a simple emoji, my gratefulness for the mic drop to go find this scripture long afterwards and the gratitude to look up and smile knowing God's looking at the same rainbow and He's thinking I got your back.
