Of Rainbows and Identity

It was Bumble-Bee’s birthday on Tuesday.

My amazing drummer boy turned 3.

In the run-up to his birthday, every time he was asked what he wanted, he would say “Rainbow cake”. At a point, my friends began to wonder what his fascination was for rainbows.

“I want ‘rainbow’ drumsticks”

“I want ‘rainbow’ shoe”

“I want ‘rainbow’ Paw Patrol”

Everything had to be ‘rainbow’.

My son’s love for rainbows first began when he watched the ‘rainbow song’ by the Mothergoose Club. He would sing the song over and over again and request for it every single time. For Bumble-Bee and Drama Queen, their love for rainbows is undeniable. So when we read the story of Noah’s Ark to find out where the rainbow came from, it became one of their favourite Bible stories. If you sit with them while they watch The VeggieTales: Noah’s Ark, you’ll be startled when they get to the part where the rainbow appears in the sky. LOUD-‘I-JUST-WON-THE-LOTTERY’-SCREAMS.

It’s a given: my kids love the rainbow.

One of Drama Queen’s many rainbow-inspired artworks 

To fulfil Bumble-Bee’s wishes, we ordered a rainbow cake from my amazing baker of a big sister, O’Caykx. His darling godmother, Aunty Chiny, showed up with a big helium inflated rainbow balloon. ‘His father and mother’ (our dear family friends) came with a gift wrapped in a sheet covered in rainbows. Everyone got the message. He was excited. His sister was exhilarated.  So all dressed up in his rainbow dinosaur sweater, I organised a photoshoot session with all the props I could find and put my photography skills to the test. We had a wonderful time on Tuesday, all to the glory of our Heavenly Father who preserved the life of this child against all odds (a story for another day).

My photoshoot set-up 😍

We couldn’t avoid a smudge 😂

This cake was YUM!!!

But . . .

You know how there can be a little tingly feeling inside you about something you’re involved in, or something you know, or something you want to do? Not the ‘Holy Spirit’ kind of feeling, just something at the back of your mind that just doesn’t sit right. That was how I felt anytime I looked at all the rainbow that surrounded me on Tuesday. I could see the innocence in the eyes of the kids as they enjoyed every bit of it, but my over-enlightened mind knew something else that tried to taint the beautiful experience we were having.

RAINBOW – The adopted identity of the LGBT phenomenon.

When God first gave us the rainbow, it was a symbol of covenant and commitment, to remind us that His promises are true. When I see a rainbow in the sky, my heart lights up because I remember that God is there, watching over His word to perform it.

I remember this one like it was yesterday 😀

Somehow, that symbol has been stolen by perversion and any association with it draws the mind to something completely different. I know how Boo of life cringes when he sees a shirt that’s rainbow-themed. I wonder, are we supposed to stop associating ourselves with a God-given symbol because it has been hijacked by ungodliness?

This question has bugged me for so long, and if I had given in to the temptation of disassociating myself with anything rainbow, I wonder how I would have explained to the kids that they could not have a rainbow-themed celebration.

Would their love for God’s symbol of His promise diminish when they become more aware of how the world has perverted it? Should our love for the rainbow be tainted? Should we give up the rainbow?

I don’t think so!

I remember telling some of my friends a while ago that I was starting a ‘Rainbow Campaign’ with these hashtags:

#BringBackOurRainbow #RestoreTheRainbow #SaveTheRainbow.

It sounded funny then, but my thoughts in this post are exactly the reason why my mind conceived that idea.

The rainbow may have become the symbol of identity for something that God certainly does not approve of, but the rainbow is a gift from God, to colour our lives and remind us of His promises. So I won’t run away from celebrating those beautiful colours and what they truly signify. I will reach out in love with truth to a world that has been lied to and show them that the only standard of love is GOD, and His son, Jesus Christ.

So if you see me wearing a rainbow shirt, don’t think twice, I know my identity – I’m God’s Child!

Happy Birthday, Bumble-Bee!