Break the Rainbow

I love taking pictures of God's beauty in nature. But, some of my favorite things are in the sky and are challenging to photograph. Good images of planets and constellations are often impossible to capture with a regular camera. Rainbows can be a little easier because they happen during the day. However, my favorite (and most difficult challenge) is trying to capture sundogs.  

You probably don't see sundogs as often as you do regular rainbows. Perhaps you have never even heard of them. They look like broken pieces of a rainbow that usually occur among wispy clouds on sunny days. I have learned that they typically appear to the right or left of the sun, sometimes both simultaneously, although I have never observed that. (A new goal for me!)

When the skies are bright and covered with thin clouds, I find myself scanning for these shards of a rainbow. Of course, they don't last long because the sun and the ice crystals in the atmosphere are moving so quickly. But I love getting a glimpse of one, and I try to get a picture.

While such a beautiful phenomenon should have a cool name, it is stuck with a common-sounding word. Why? Well, there is a great mystery about the origin of the term "sundog." According to The Oxford English Dictionary, it has been used for over four hundred years, but no one knows how it came to be. One of the theories is that dogs are loyal to owners, never going far from their sides. Yes, it's a little underwhelming, isn't it?

In historical writings, people have recorded these pieces of color flanking the sun as glimpses into heaven. They have been regarded both as signs of good fortune and warnings of storms. Their rainbow colors start as a reflection from the sun that is processed and changed into something new because the light shines through big, horizontal ice crystals in the atmosphere. And, although they may have nothing to do with good fortune or warnings, The Farmer's Almanac says that sundogs do indicate a change of weather on the way.

Are you a sundog? You can be. We all can be. If we walk closely to God, His light will undoubtedly shine on us. Of course, we can keep the light to ourselves, soaking it in, enjoying it, and cherishing it. But we aren't making the most of God's love when we keep it to ourselves. When it mingles with our gifts and personalities, the crystals in our atmosphere, we shine beautifully with colors and shapes that are uniquely ours. When we shine with God's colors, others are blessed by our rainbow fragments and learn more about God's love. 

This week, let's focus on not just treasuring God's love but also on sharing it in the unique way He created us to do that. Keep your eyes open for sundogs, both in the sky and around you. Do you know people who shine God's light? If so, encourage them. If you are a sundog, how do you shine? When we allow God's love to move through us, we can bet that there is a change on the way.