I was back in my favourite coffee shop, relaxing with a fun conversation. As I looked to one of my favourite spots to chill out, I realised there was a rainbow thread coming from my point of reflection. Visually, my feet usually rested on the threshold of a symbol of hope’s promise. Even as my mind began to replay my contemplations in the chair, I heard life-sharing whispers shaping my day’s beginning.
Hope and freedom are always within us. I often feel like I am losing my grip on hope as I struggle with life’s darkness, chaos, and feelings of hopelessness. When I think of others wrestling with demons who are far more powerful than mine, it can seem like we have been abandoned. As I replayed some of my fears, I could see the echo of a rainbow emerging silently on the floor from where I sat. I thought of the Divine covenant with me and rediscovered that Divinity was residing within me in the form of hope and my freedom to respond.
The opportunity to recreate hope through kindness, care, and compassion is always within me. Because of my fear, uncertainties, and doubts, I have no questions about the reality of darkness. The rainbow reminded me that I am called to care and to make a difference. There is an opportunity, first with and for myself and then for others, to actively share forgiveness, acceptance, and kindness. When I fail to forgive myself for my failings, I erect a barrier to my ability to forgive and embrace others in their shortfalls.
Remembering gifts of beauty, creativity, and love (including forgiveness) is part of enjoying Divinity’s feast. An old reminder plays out; “These priests provide only a hint of what goes on in the true sanctuary of heaven, which Moses caught a glimpse of as he was about to set up the tent-shrine. It was then that God said, ‘Be careful to do it exactly as you saw it on the Mountain.’” (Hebrews 8.5). I replay being embraced, recreated, and renewed – life’s greatest gifts today.
