Before the Rainbow
Published by Darlene Gibbs at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Darlene Gibbs
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Before the Rainbow
***
Have you ever thought about this:
You have to fall before you can get back up
You have to try before you can succeed
You have to lose before you can understand another’s pain
You have to cry before you can truly appreciate a smile

The bible tells us of a man named Noah, who because of his faithfulness to God and his righteousness was able to preserve the entire human race (yeah, and a few animals too).
This Noah has gone down in history as an outstanding man, a shining light, a beacon in the time of evil.  In fact, this man Noah was so outstanding that many ancient societies tell about him.  The story of Noah in the book of Genesis is not the only place this story is told.  Ancient documents has been found in Greece and Babylonia telling of a similar occurrence of a flood and of one man being counted worthy, with his family, to be saved and to give the world a fresh start.
The bible story in Genesis chapter 6 to 9 in particular is compelling.  It tells how not only did Noah make it through the rainstorm, not only did he survive for over a year in a water logged world, not only did his boat manage to reach safe ground so it could rest, but it says that at the end of it all the LORD promised Noah that he would never destroy the world again by flood.  Then Noah was privileged to be the first human being to see the beautiful arc of the rainbow.  Awesome.
But, there was a time before Noah survived the flood before he landed safely on the mountain, there was a time before the rainbow, when everything was most likely far from beautiful.
Imagine you were Noah’s wife
You can’t walk around in peace
Cause every one is telling you 
Your husband is a priest
But no one wants to hear him talk
No one really cares
Imagine how depressed she’d feel
Not a friend, no place, no where.
And think if you were Noah’s sons
Young men with not a friend
Because your father’s talking things
About the world coming to an end
And then, think of Noah himself
I don’t think I’m being bold
The most unsuccessful preacher yet
Preached one hundred and twenty years and couldn’t save a soul
***
Talk about discouragement, depression and fighting against the odds.  Noah could have given up at any time, but he held on, he held on by faith, believing, even though he hadn’t seen it, that things would be better.
You can’t have a testimony 
Unless you have a test
You can’t say that God can help
Unless your life was in a mess
How can you know that HE can heal
Unless you have been sick
How can you know that he’ll provide
Until your need simply demands it
Just taste HIM for yourself and see
Hope’s not far away
You’re just experiencing the ‘before’ now
The Rainbow will soon appear.
As I close this short inspirational, I want to encourage you to know that no matter how bad things may seem, it only looks that way, because right now you’re living just before the rainbow.
May God give you patience and peace to wait with joy and may you receive the biggest and best rainbow ever and may it fulfill all your dreams.
And when you think you have no friend, you have a friend in Jesus.  Keep trusting; know you are always loved – no matter what.