Leprechauns and Chevy Trucks

When I was a child, I loathed St. Patrick’s Day. The thought of a little man, wearing an uncomfortable green polyester suit, roaming outside my home or classroom was not my idea of enticing holiday fun. As an adult, the fact that Americans use it to “play” with their children; relaying mythological stories of visitors with gold, who only come on that sacred holiday celebrated with green beer and ridiculous shamrock glasses, is a form of child abuse.
Although the legend of the leprechaun bothers me, I find it even more irritating that year around, the legend of the leprechaun takes the beauty of the rainbow and splatters it with (in my opinion) a lurking creepiness. It is beyond me who would ever take the beauty of the rainbow and associate this creature, who happens to be loaded with gold, with one of nature’s wonders. I saw the end of a rainbow today, and praise the Lord, there was not a little man was a red beard and tight green belt…just a typical Chevy truck on the freeway.
This car was typical, one that would have never grabbed my attention otherwise. The rainbow was captivating. It was so bright, it was as though God was displaying all artistic liberties, holding nothing back. I was enthralled my entire drive to the freeway, until I saw the end. I was perplexed because from what I understood one could never see the end of a rainbow. And there it was in clear daylight.
This typical truck was radiating with illuminated colors; it was the strangest thing I had seen, and my wonder quickly turned to disappointment and perplexity. It was beauty beyond measure, something which man could never recreate, shining on a car in the slow lane of the 8 freeway heading east. I found my mind thinking, “Seriously…this is the way this is going to end? Don’t let that end God. I want to still look at it. Don’t take it away yet.” Then the bright arrays were gone, the rain clouds loomed above me, and the rain started to pour.
As I was heading to work in the pouring rain, I realized that I had actually seen the end a rainbow. There were no flowers, gold, or green polyester. And I can’t imagine that the driver of the car even knew that the beauty of the most radiant rainbow I had seen was on his car. The wonder is the rainbow, not in the end for which we strive.
As humans we create imaginary ends to all of life’s scenarios. I am guilty of falling into the trap of thinking, “When I get married, then life will be easier because I won’t be alone.” Although that may be true, the beauty in the situation now is that I have complete freedom, I can take care of myself independently, and to be honest, I am stronger than I want to be at times, which is a blessing in light of numerous situations. That is the beauty now; the rainbow. Although seeing the end of the rainbow was interesting, and still pretty, it still left me perplexed. Marriage brings a whole new bag of tricks and then there is another end to grasp. “When I have children, then we will be a family.” It never ends. We are always striving for the pot of gold.
When I saw the end, I was disappointed and I didn’t want the rainbow to go away. I pray that I can have that perspective on life; enjoy the ‘now’. As I was enticed by what I was seeing in front of me, I wasn’t even thinking about finding the end because in front of me was the blessing, the beauty and the wonder. It brought rain and clouds, but we live in a fallen world. Other rainbows come and go, so do the clouds.
I will look at the rainbow because in the end, there is no earthly gold. Not until the final end, when believers will dance in heavenly gold. But while I am here as a human being, I need to fight to train my mind to find the amazement of what is in front of me. Chances are very great there are lurking leprechauns and freeways, and God knows we want more than that. Life’s wonders and blessings are not on a Chevy, but in the rainbow.