Over The Rainbow

It was a gloomy, rainy, yucky day. Ethan pressed his nose to the window. He watched as the thick, grey clouds crept across the sky, sprinkling the ground with tiny drops of water. “When will it stop raining?” he asked. “When can I go out and play?”

Joey sat cross-legged on the floor, fitting the pieces of a giant puzzle. He looked out the window and shrugged. “I dunno.”

 Ethan lifted his finger and traced a raindrop as it zigzagged down the windowpane. “Why is the sky so dark, Joey?” he asked.

“I dunno,” Joey answered.

 “Joey? Where does the sun go when it rains?” Ethan asked.

Joey shook his head. “I dunno!” he snapped. “Stop asking so many questions! I don’t know the answers!”

The afternoon dragged on. Ethan remained by the window. He patiently waited for the sky to clear. Finally, the sun peaked out from behind the clouds and a beautiful rainbow stretched out across the sky.

“Look, Joey!” Ethan shouted. “Look at the rainbow! How does the sky make such wonderful colors?”

Joey lay on the floor, flipping through the pages of a comic book. He looked out the window and shrugged, “I dunno.”

“Where does a rainbow come from, Joey?” Ethan asked.

“I dunno,” Joey answered.

“Joey? Where do you think the rainbow ends?” Ethan asked.

Joey shook his head. “I dunno!” he snapped. “Stop asking so many questions! Only God know the answers to all of your questions!”

“But where is God? Ethan asked. “Can you help me find him?”

Joey sighed and joined his little brother by the window. “I’m not sure, but I think God lives over the rainbow,” Joey said. “I guess that if you reach the end of the rainbow, then God will be there.”

Ethan’s eyes widened. His face beamed with delight, “Oh boy!” he exclaimed. “And do you think he can answer all of my questions?”

“I think so.” Joey replied. “God knows everything. He should be able to answer all your millions of questions.”

Ethan raced to the closet. He slipped on his raincoat and rain boots. “How do I get over the rainbow, Joey?” he asked. “Do I walk there?”

 “Oh no,” Joey said. “You can’t walk. That would take too long. By the time you get there, the rainbow will be gone.”

Ethan kicked off his rain boots and laced up his sneakers. “Then I’ll run,” he said. “I’m a really fast runner, aren’t I?”

“You can’t run,” Joey said. “The rainbow is too far away. You’ll be running for days.”

Ethan thought for a minute. Then he took off his raincoat and strapped on a bicycle helmet. “If I can’t walk and I can’t run, then I’ll take my bike. I can pedal quickly to see God, can’t I?”

“You can’t ride your bike,” Joey said. “You still have your training wheels. You’re much too wobbly on your bike and Mom would never let you go.”

Ethan threw off the bicycle helmet. “If I can’t walk and I can’t run and I can’t ride my bike, then I’ll call Zaydie. Zaydie’s car drives really fast. He can drive me, can’t he, Joey?”

“I guess so,” Joey said. “And Zaydie will be here soon. He’s coming for dinner.”

 Ethan sat outside and anxiously waited on the front step for Zaydie. He bubbled with excitement. Ethan could not wait to meet God. So many questions filled his head and soon he would have all of his answers. God knew all of the answers.

The warm sunshine smiled down on Ethan. He lifted his face and breathed in the fresh smell that the rain left behind. Searching the length of the sky, Ethan cried out, “What happened to the rainbow?” He jumped up and circled all around. He looked in every direction.

“Where is God’s rainbow?” he shouted as tears streaked down his face.

Just then, Zaydie’s car pulled up. Zaydie rushed to Ethan’s side. “What’s wrong, my boy?” he begged.

“The rainbow is gone,” Ethan answered. “It just disappeared. I should have walked or ran or taken my bicycle. I may be a little wobbly on my training wheels, but I know I could have made it over. How will I ever see God now, Zaydie?”

Zaydie raised an eyebrow. “See God?” he asked.

“Yes,” Ethan replied. “I have a million questions and only God knows the answers.”

Zaydie placed his arm around Ethan’s shoulder. “Oh, Ethan,” he replied. “God doesn’t live over the rainbow.”

“He doesn’t?” Ethan asked, brushing away his tears.

“No,” answered Zaydie. “God doesn’t live in any one place. God is everywhere. He is all around us. You may not see him, but if you try hard enough, you can feel him.”

“Like in my heart or when I look at a rainbow?” Ethan asked.

“Exactly,” Zaydie answered.

“But if I can’t see God, how can he answer all of my questions?” Ethan asked.

“Well,” Zaydie began. “God helps us all to grow. As we grow, we learn. And when we learn, we start finding the answers to our questions.”

Ethan thought about that and nodded. “Zaydie?” he asked. “Do you know how the sky makes a rainbow with such wonderful colors or where a rainbow ends?”

Zaydie studied the sky and shrugged. “I dunno,” he answered.

“I don’t know either,” Ethan said. “I guess we are both still growing and learning. But, don’t worry, Zaydie. One day, God will help us find the answers to all our millions of questions.”

“See, my boy?” Zaydie laughed. “You are already growing and learning. Now, let’s see you ride your bicycle. Keep practicing and you’ll have those training wheels off in no time.”

“And I’ll be ready to catch the next rainbow!” Ethan cried as he ran inside to grab his helmet.