Don't Worry Son, It'll Be Alright

Therefore I tell you, do not worry....
Matthew 6:25



"The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus.”



Taylor, Hudson



Down our long, dusty gravel driveway I walked. The sun's beams were shining through the treetops. I was cool from the autumn breeze that rustled the leaves on the tree branches. Standing and waiting for the bus. My first day at a new school. I didn't want to go. My stomach was in knots. I set out for that long walk to the end of the driveway. With tears in my eyes and not knowing what to expect, I dug in against my mother about getting on the bus. Daddy took me by the hand, bent down, and lifted me up to talk to him. He reassured me with these words,"Don't worry son, it'll be alright." I believed him and off I went to school.
At a teenager, I wanted to do my own thing so I set my mind to it. Along that broken road I wanted to be wild and free. In the process, I said some hurtful things at times to my father. In my will to create my own independence and identity, I left carnage in my wake. In my quest, I got into jam after jam. Always escaping by the skin of my teeth. Jumping in before I thought anything through. And through it all, he stood. Knowing alot more of what was going on than I thought I was keeping secret. Always when I had to face the music, to be the better man he wanted me to be, he waited patiently for me to come around. Not wanting to talk about it, he waited on me. Patting me on the back, I sat there slumped over and lost in my thoughts. With the look of despair on my face,I felt noone understood me. And with these words he let me know someone cared, "Don't worry son, it'll be alright." Leaving his door open, he let me know he was available to talk. I may not have always liked his advice, but he always had a sympathtic ear to listen. Though in later years, I came to realize how right he was.
And so the years grew and I settled into a family. As my time with him became more limited, I longed for more moments with him. Obligations and commitments kept me busy, I squeezed every spare chance I had to discuss what life was throwing at me. Life finally threw me the ultimate curve ball. I held his hand as his life slipped away over the weeks in the hospital. Night slipped in and he was doing like he always did. Reassuring me with the same words I heard my whole life,"Don't worry son, it'll be alright:" " How can he be so sure? How does he know?" these questions filled up my mind. All these years I heard these words, but never truly understood the message. With a simple jesture, he put those words into perspectice. Taking his hand, he simply pointed up.

Even after his passing, his words stayed in the back of my mind. Until the moment I was standing in a delivery room, I was amazed at the cries of newborn life. The doctor took my son, and placed him in my hands.Tears welling up in my eyes, he looked up at me with his big blue eyes. Placing him on my shoulder I reassured him,"Don't worry son, it'll be alright."
by
Lance Gargus

All The Colors Of The Rainbow

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel: all claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favorite.
GREEN said: "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, leaves, trees - without me, all animals would die. Look out over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."
BLUE interrupted: "You only think about the Earth, but consider the sky and sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."
YELLOW chuckled: "You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth to the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me, there would be no fun."
ORANGE started next to blow her temper. "I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangos, and pawpaws. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you".
RED could stand it no longer. He shouted out: "I am the ruler of all of you! I am blood! Life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire to the blood! I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poppy and the poinsettia. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon!"
PURPLE rose up to his full height. He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am a sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me, they listen and obey".
Finally, INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: "Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace."
And so all the colors went on boasting and quarreling, each convinced of their own superiority. Soon, their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening! Thunder rolled and boomed! Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear drawing close to one another for comfort. In the midst of the clamor, RAIN began to speak: "You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."
Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands. The rain continued: "From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of colors as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow". And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.

The rainbow is a symbol of God's faithfulness and his promise to never again destroy the earth by flood. It comes from the story of Noah and the Flood. After the flood, God placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of his covenant with Noah to never again destroy the earth and all living creatures by flood (Genesis 9:12-16). In Revelation, John saw a rainbow around the throne in heaven:
Revelation 4:2-3

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. (NIV)

My daughter simply describes all the colors of the rainbow as this:

by Autumn Gargus, 8 years old.

All the colors of the rainbow are as pretty as they can be.

Let's say all the colors to you and me.

There are lots in the rainbow like red, blue, and green.

There's also orange too.

Pink is the color of a toy pig.

And that's all the colors in the rainbow.

The End.