Don’t be just a colour

One recent afternoon I stepped out my front door and witnessed the most beautiful, perfect and colourful rainbow. It reminded me immediately of a story once told of a time when the colours of the world started to quarrel: all claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favourite.

"...join hands, bring our special gifts and talents together and be a sign of hope and joy..."

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 think only 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, blowing her temper: “I am the colour 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: “I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood! Life’s blood. I am the colour of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire to the blood! I am the colour 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 colour 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 obey.”

Finally, Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others but with just as much determination: “Think of me. I am the colour 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 colours went on boasting and quarrelling, each convinced of their own superiority. Each wanting to be the most important, the most needed, the most useful, and so on.

Soon, the story goes, their dispute became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening! Thunder rolled and boomed! Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colours crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort. And in doing so, they produced a beautiful rainbow.

How often do we see this in our lives, especially in our organisations?

Imagine if each individual and organisation knew what their own strengths were, valued those strengths, but at the same time valued what all other individuals and organisations bring.  Would we not be able to be a kaleidoscope of hope and joy for the poor?

Let us as individuals and organisations not wait for thunder to roll, but join hands, bring our special gifts and talents together and be a sign of hope and joy—just as the rainbow is a sign of God’s everlasting covenant.