PPM – Climbing Rainbows

August 24, 2009 | By | Add a Comment

On select Mondays, I’ll link to a post that I consider powerful. These will be a roundup of stories from around the web.

There is an old hymn that had some lyrics changed.  The words went from “I climb the rainbow in the rain” to “I trace the rainbow through the rain”.

I like the imagery of the first version much better.

Still, I can’t shake the fact that a rainbow is impossible to climb.  It’s looks pretty, but there is no substance to it.  How can you climb a rainbow?  You can struggle your heart out, but you won’t get anywhere.  You might even get to the base of the illusory thing only to see it disappear.  Climbing rainbows sounds nice and all, but I can’t think of a greater exercise in futility.

There is a scripture in the Bible that talks about groping for God.  Grope for God.  Can you picture this as a slogan on Christian T-Shirts and Bumper Stickers?  When I hear the word “grope”, God isn’t the first or even second or third thing that comes to mind.  And, doesn’t this sound more than just a little bit ridiculous?  How can you grope for what you can’t see?  How do you touch what you can’t feel?  How can you reach for something that isn’t there?

I suppose it only makes sense that the senselessly blind and brokenhearted man who wrote about climbing rainbows was also groping for the promise of a tearless morning when all that is wrong, bad, evil, sad, crushing and sick would be washed away.

* * *

It’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these PPM’s.  It’s been so long because I haven’t found much that I consider worthy of your time.  This week’s story changed my mind and can be found here.

Jami Dawn Kennedy recently had a baby daughter.  The little girl’s name is Jo.  As they remember Joe Kennedy, I have the feeling that both of them will be climbing rainbows.

Category: Musings

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