GOD'S COLORS

The heavens declare the glory
of God; and the firmament
sheweth is handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night sheweth
knowledge.
There is no speech nor
language, where their voice
is not heard.
Psalm 19:1-3

One of my joys when in grade school was the initial purchase of school supplies. The list was very small. In the beginning, they consisted of a pair of blunt-nose scissors, jar of paste, a couple of fat pencils and a box of crayons...only the 8 count box. I dearly loved the aroma of those crayons. Still today at times when in a general store, you might find me carefully opening a box of 8 crayons just to take a whiff of them.

This time of year, living in a mountainous area, the colors are breathtaking. However, they are a little slower showing up this year because of the drought-like weather we have had for a couple of months. I felt bad for visitors to our national park who came just to see the full array of leaves in their colorful attire. There have been some, but we're getting a little more now, just later than usual.

We all remember from childhood Joseph and the coat of varied colors his father had made for him. Although a much appreciated gesture on the father's part, it resulted in a great deal of conflict with Joseph's brothers. Who can forget the variety of colors used in the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness. Blue, gold, red, and others were used for various curtains and furniture along with the attire with it's various colors worn by the high priest. We can't even imagine the beauty of the temple Solomon was to supervise in it's building and a reading of it's description reveals a generous use of colors.

Although in my KJV version, I don't see the word “color”, I'm very aware of colors that are mentioned individually in the Bible. Red in Hebrew is Oudem meaning “red clay.” Adam, Esau and Edom all three got their names from that Hebrew root word. The color that means most for we Christians is that color of red, representing the shed blood of our Savior. Without that color, that blood, there wouldn't much of anything that holds much meaning for us.

I looked up some information regarding the spiritual meaning of colors that remind me in so many ways of our Heavenly Father. If I can remember their meaning when viewing colors all around, it's such a blessing to be reminded of God's glory. As I look to the hills, there are certain colors that are predominant. I don't know who came up with the spiritual meanings for things, but the following is fine with me. So as I see certain colors, here's what I can be reminded of:

Red – blood of Jesus, love of God
Gold – heaven, glory of God
Orange – fire of God, deliverance, praise
Green – growth

Every season of the year, we can see God in all His glory and creativity. I see white snow in the winter that indicates purity, the purity of Jesus. Spring in our area brings a myriad of color as all the spring flowers spring up. Our visitors come almost as much for those months as in the Fall. To some extent, I even enjoy the winter months as our mountains take on more of a gray color. It reminds me that except for some evergreens, even the mountains need some time of rest before all the activity begins again. I'm amazed how we can find God in so many common, ordinary things in every day living.

No matter where you live, look around and take in God's beauty that is all around. There is a church sign in our area that says: “God is painting the mountains.” That He is, but He's also being creative wherever you live. It's just another reason we can give God glory.

Dear Father, You so wonderfully beautiful in Your own person and in everything you touch. Thank you for the many reminders you extend our way that can remind us of You in so many ways. Thank You again for Jesus who bled red for each of us. In His name....Amen