Promise

Genesis 9: 12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." 17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

This has been a rough week.  And it's only Tuesday.  I think everyone's feeling the pressure.  Grades were due yesterday and we have parent/teacher conferences on Thursday and Friday.  On top of that, my students are working to meet their yearbook deadline, so I've turned into the teacher all my students are afraid of.  Actually, they should be afraid.  That's kind of the way I want it.  Healthy fear.  Get the work done.  

Monday afternoon, I fell apart.  I don't know what happened, but after my afternoon rehearsal wrapped up, I felt like something was crushing my chest.  I was shaking all over and felt exhausted and couldn't stop crying.  I haven't had an episode like this since high school, so I was embarrassed and frightened by my behavior.  It's like all of the lights had gone out and I was unshakably miserable.  I went home, threw up (which I never do), and checked and found that I was running a fever.  I believe that with all of the stress I was carrying around, I literally made myself sick.  My sweet roommates were a comfort, and after a weird day at school yesterday where I was still shaking things off, I find that I'm doing much better this morning.  

As I turned off the lights in my room this morning as I headed off to work, I noticed that an odd colored light was sifting through my curtains.  This yellowish, strange light.  When the Jennifers and I headed out to school, I saw that there was this perfect rainbow arched directly over our car as we drove down Ngong road to school.  I don't ordinarily get all worked up over things like this, but this morning I was completely overcome as I looked at that rainbow and remembered Genesis 9.  A reminder of a promise.  No matter how bad things get or how much I feel that the world's about to end, there's an "everlasting covenant" between God and us.  And "never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life."  As I teared up like an old biddy, a second rainbow appeared below the first.  It was like the Lord was underlining that promise, just to make His point stronger.  

I love you and I promise to never leave you or let you go.