I shopped for a card to send a struggling loved one the other day, and found one that was perfect. (A real ‘hallmark moment’!) On the front it said: REMEMBER THAT AFTER THE RAIN THERE IS A RAINBOW. On the inside, it said, AND IF I HAVE TO, I’LL COME OVER AND PAINT THE DARN THING ON YOUR CEILING!

I left the store chuckling, because that is such a perfect description of me! That’s how I’ve approached my relationships with those I love for years, especially my husband and children. I want so badly to make everyone happy that many times I barge in and paint rainbows on their ceilings. But you know what? I’m not a very good painter. On my rainbows, the colors aren’t very bright, and they run together, and they tend to fade away pretty quickly. They’re not real rainbows. They’re cheap imitations. Knock-offs. They look good for a minute, but that minute doesn’t last.

This is a lesson I’m learning lately: my job is not to make people happy. My job is to love people, and pray for them, and trust God to give them rainbows. After all, a rainbow is a symbol of hope, and of promise, and of God’s unending love. Nothing temporary or fake about that!

So, I’m putting away my paint box. When I signed the card, I wrote, “Today, I’m praying for God to paint you a rainbow.”