Treasures from the Trail, Part 6 - Trail Kisses

Splash of Color

Colors evoke feelings in us.  Commonly yellow is associated with feelings of cheer; green, with envy; red, with power.  As I hike, I am nurtured, calmed and strengthened by many different colors.   For example, when I pass purple flowers, I am reminded of my royalty, how rich I am, how lavish my Father is. But sometimes my exhaustion gets all my focus and I cease to notice ways God may be trying to get my attention, to turn my head towards yet another way He longs to bless me. 

As I am weary and worn, head low-looking, trudging along, seeing only gray granite color, a surprisingly lovely color enters my periphery.  And turn my head, it does.  Whether it's an coral orangish red or a reddish orangish coral, who can say?  I cannot define it with words but concluded the feelings stirred in me when my eyes rest upon it are feelings of delight.   

I started saying to myself whenever seeing my luscious, coral-red, favorite flower color, "That's delightful,"  or, "That brings me delight."   Somewhere in my journey, I shifted from thinking about the flower and its exquisite color to expressing my feelings to God.  "You delight me," I'd utter to Him, sometimes quietly inside me, sometimes whispered gently on my exhale.

I'm told that my dad as a young boy upon seeing the moon would run into his house from wherever he was playing to give his mom a kiss.  That became his cue, his reminder to express love to his mother.  And it was his idea!  How blessed she must have been to receive that affection from her boy.  Similarly God and I developed our secret sign on this hike.  He would show me that color, to which I would respond, "You delight me."  I felt goofy at first,  presumptuous somehow that this little praise from me would even turn God's ear or matter to Him, almost like I was pretending He cared to hear from me or even was listening at all, for that matter.

But listen, He did.  We shared sweet exchanges of affection on the trail that day, as I shifted  from thinking about Creator God's works to forming a response to Him, this time with words, the three words that became precious kisses from me to Him, "You delight me."