Can You See the Rainbow?

Clouds.

We see them. And we know how they're formed.

It's simple enough.

a) Water fills the earth's streams, lakes, rivers and oceans.

b) The sun's rays evaporate some of the water,

c) Droplets rise to form clouds (which eventually yield rain back to the earth).

So, to phrase it differently: Clouds are a joint production of 'Heaven' (the Sun) and 'Earth' (the Water).

They bring welcome precipitation for our environment, create an overcast day, and sometimes bring storms to shake our world.

Now let's look a little deeper:

Everything in the world is a physical expression of a Divine energy.

So, spiritually speaking, we can say that the skies represent G‑d, while Earth represents Humanity.

And the clouds, hovering between Heaven and Earth, represent our behavior.

Why behavior?

Think about it: Clouds are Earth's feedback (in the form of vapor) to the atmosphere, and our behavior is our feedback to G‑d, our response to His gift of life.

G‑d created us for a purpose: To make this a better [Holy] world.

We can either acknowledge – and try to live by - that mission, or we can ignore it and live in misalignment with our core selves.

Either way, we're giving feedback to the Divine; we're either welcoming purpose or rejecting it.

So our actions form the 'clouds' that hover between us and G‑d.

Will they shed the water of life and blessing? Do they portend storms, bringing darkness and disruption?

That is a question we face on a daily basis. And we pray – to a G‑d who loves us – for the waters of blessing and tranquility.

But, aside from the rain per se, how do we deal with dark clouds? What if we feel that life is overcast?

Ask yourself: Are my clouds too thick and opaque? Is my life so heavily materialistic and self-centered, that there's no for purpose and meaning to shine through?

You may need some 'cloud-thinning'.

If we lighten up on the materialism, and take some time to contemplate purpose, we allow a ray of G‑d to shine through.

And when you're standing in the right spot, with the right perspective, that ray will create the majesty of a Rainbow, which is G‑d's message to you "if you let Me in, I'll show you the beauty that can be found in the diverse challenges I give you. Just let your droplets refract my light."

Now it can rain.