Even God needs sticky notes

There have been a lot of amazing inventions during my lifetime. Inventions that have changed my world: microwave ovens, computers, cell phones. But when I think of all the inventions that have enhanced my life, perhaps the one I appreciate the most these days is the sticky note. Although 3M claims it as their creation, the inventor was actually a guy by the name of Alan Amron, who came up with the idea in 1973. I owe Mr. Amron a debt of gratitude. Especially since I’ve been having more and more trouble with a chronic condition known as CRS, that is, Can’t Remember… Stuff. Sticky notes have become an essential part of my life.

Although my reliance on sticky notes may be a sign that my mind is starting to show some wear and tear, I’m okay with that. Especially since I realized that even God’s been known to rely on a sticky note. You see, the concept of the sticky note goes all the way back to the book of Genesis.

You may have been told, as a child, that rainbows are to remind us that God will never send a flood to destroy the earth again. But if you read Genesis 9 carefully, that’s not exactly where it goes. God says, "When I bring the clouds, and when I see the bow in the clouds, I will remember the everlasting covenant between me and all that is in the earth." The rainbow isn’t a reminder for us. It’s a reminder for God.

Back before the LGBT community used the rainbow as their banner, back before Jessie Jackson used it as a symbol for the inclusion of people of color, back before the Care Bears slid down rainbows, before Dorothy sang about going somewhere over the rainbow, or leprechauns used rainbows as a place to store their treasures… back before all that, the rainbow had another meaning. The rainbow was God’s sticky note in the sky.

Lest God forget what he promised after the flood, he had the rainbow to remind him. He wasn’t going to do that again. He would not be a God of destruction and death. That’s not the way his people would know him. He would be a God of life and resurrection.

The next time you see a rainbow, give thanks for God’s sticky note in the sky. It’s a sign of hope, a promise of life, and an assurance of God’s never-ending love for all creation.