Since moving to Hawai'i five years ago, I've seen enough rainbows to study them. This is by no means a scientific study, but I think rainbows can teach us a lot about life.

Rainbows are biggest in the morning and in the afternoon. You don't see rainbows at midday, because it's all a matter of relationship to the sun.

That's like life.

In our youth and old age, we are much more inclined to walk with the son. In our middle years, we get so involved with living, that we try to live without him.

You can't see a rainbow and the sun together. The sun shines through the raindrops, creating the rainbow. If you stare into the sun, you won't see rainbows. They will be behind you. We can be so spiritually focused that we are no earthly good. We can spend all our time in church, with Christians, our family, etc., and not see where the son is pointing. We will miss the wonders of evangelism if we don't occasionally put the son to our back, knowing he's there, but looking for the "raindrops" (unbelievers) through whom he wants to shine and make rainbows.

Double rainbows are my favorites. The second one is a mirror image of the first. It's backward, red to red on the rainbows, and it's always much weaker. Think of yourself as the first rainbow. You are strong and bright, getting your color from the son at the optimum angle. Anyone who tries to reflect off you, however, will be weaker and backward. Point them directly to Jesus. He's the one who makes the rainbows, not you!

Rainbows are predictable. Afternoons in the summer, I can lie on my bed, and every rainy day, I will see the left side of the rainbow through my window. Jesus is predictable, too. He's the same, yesterday, today and forever. The more you get to know him, the easier it is to find him.

Broken rainbows make me sad. I always want to see the entire arch, filled in and shining brightly. But there needs to be millions of tiny raindrops working together for the complete rainbow. If some are missing, the rainbow is incomplete. The body of believers is like that. No matter how brightly you or your church shine, if you don't connect to the rest of the body, you're only a partial rainbow.

And, finally, no matter how beautiful rainbows are, we too often ignore them. We get so used to them that we hardly even glance their way. We get that way with Jesus, too. When we first know him, we are excited. But we lose our wonder over time. We follow and trust him and know he's there, but we don't stop to enjoy him.

Rainbows need the sun; we need the son. Take some lessons from the rainbow. Learn how to let Jesus use you to the best effect.

Cheryl A.F. Okimoto serves as creative director of Island Christian Guide.